If you have a Samsung Galaxy device, you have just been warned to check your smartphone for the availability of a new firmware update and install it as soon as you can…
New Samsung update warning to fix critical vulnerabilities
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There’s little to choose between the latest flagships from Samsung and Apple, but when it comes to security updates, Apple’s rigid control of its entire ecosystem continues to leave Samsung and Android well behind. We have seen multiple issues in recent months with users getting working updates in a timely fashion, and that problem doesn’t look like it’s going away.
The good news, though, is just a few days after Samsung’s latest flagship—the S24—started to receive the March security update in the US—albeit later than Europe and other regions, owners of S23s can now do the same. The update—as ever—combines Samsung fixes with wider Android updates.
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Clearly, as soon as the update is available for your device in your region and with your carrier—or any combination of the above—you should update your device as soon as possible. Two of the patched Android security vulnerabilities are critical, with one potentially leading to remote code execution and the other an escalation of privilege. Put more simply, the risk that a bad actor can use malware to exploit a vulnerability, enabling them to take control over all or part of your device.
Even so, this update still isn’t for everyone—that would be too easy. Instead, as SamMobile explains, “the update is currently limited to the carrier-locked units in the Galaxy S23 series. It brings the March 2024 security patch that fixes dozens of security flaws found in the previous software version.” If you don’t have a carrier-locked version, then you’ll need to wait a while longer.
[Update: Since this article was first published, the March update is now reportedly available in the US for unlocked S23 devices as well.]
As Samsung explains, “users can rest assured OS upgrades will include up-to-date security patches when delivered. While we are doing our best to deliver the security patches as soon as possible to all applicable models, delivery time of security patches may vary depending on the regions and models.”
It’s 2024, and while Samsung users rightly welcomes the news that the company is extending security support to the newish industry norm of seven years, this patchwork quilt approach to updates needs sorting. But unfortunately, the situation doesn’t look like resolving any time soon, especially given the spat between Google and Samsung over seamless (read background) updates.
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The differences between Android and Apple’s iOS are narrowing. Google is taking tighter control over the security of Android’s ecosystem, and features and functions are closer than ever. Meanwhile, on the hardware front, there’s little to pick between Samsung and Apple in the premium category—just look at the Rihanna video debacle. But security updates remain one area where the gulf is huge.
Regardless, update as soon as you can.
