Samsung is going to start pushing out monthly security updates for its Android operating systems, the company has announced. The move comes in the wake of the discovery of the ‘Stagefright’ bug, a security vulnerability in Android’s multimedia text messaging.
Given the diversity of the Android ecosystem, it’s an ambitious project; while Apple has maintained an almost autocratic system of control over its devices and software, allowing the company to easily implement software upgrades on a broad basis, Google has endeavored to make more open systems, allowing for a good deal of customization and tinkering from device makers and mobile carriers – and that makes it harder to implement uniform bug fixes. But Samsung appears to be determined, at least with respect to its own devices. CTV News quotes Samsung mobile executive Jin Koh as acknowledging that “the recent security issues” have prompted the company to start “rethinking the approach to getting security updates to our devices in a more timely manner,” adding that “developing a fast response process to deliver security patches to our devices… will vastly improve the security of our devices and will aim to provide the best mobile experience possible for our users.”
It’s a timely move for other reasons, too. Security experts just warned about a serious vulnerability allowing hackers to copy fingerprint biometric data from at least two Android devices including the Samsung Galaxy S5, for one thing. And Microsoft has just launched its Windows 10 operating system, which places a major emphasis on security, helping consumers in the mass market to better grasp its importance. Meanwhile, the mPayment market continues to expand with both Samsung and Google preparing their own platforms, and users are really going to need to be able to trust that their data is safe before they start using those services en masse.
Source: CTV News
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