Several Samsung Galaxy devices in the United States are now receiving Stagefright vulnerability patch fix from AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

United States carrier Sprint released a security patch fix for the Stagefright vulnerability for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. It has the file size of 615.69 MB with new and enhanced features, and further improvements to performance. AT&T followed suit with the security patch fix for the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Active, Galaxy S5, Galaxy S5 Active and Galaxy Note 4.

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T-Mobile also released a software update for Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy Note 4. Main content of the software update is the security improvements for messaging functionality, indicating Stagefright vulnerability fix. Update for Samsung Galaxy S5 G900T run Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with firmware build number G900TUVU1FOG6 while Galaxy Note Edge N915 runs Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with firmware build number N915TUVU1BOG2. Users of Galaxy Note 4 N910T will receive Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with firmware build number N910TUVU1COG2. Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are likely to receive an update soon to fix the vulnerability issue. Network carriers AT&T Sprint also released software updates for these models to fix Stagefright.

Stagefright is an essential media code in Android OS, and primarily needed to run media files including video streaming. Stagefright vulnerability enables hackers to access essential information on an Android device such as data files, login details and messages. It can be done by getting a user's mobile number, send an MMS file containing a malicious code to infiltrate security once the user opens the link then deletes itself to leave no trace of hacking.

Since it is MMS related, the best way to prevent being attacked without knowledge is by turning off a specific option under the Messaging app. Go to the Multimedia Messaging Service settings and disable Automatic Download or Automatic Retrieve. In this method, the user can manually check for MMS and help prevent to accidentally opening MMS link from an unknown sender. An app called Stagefright Detector is also a good alternative created by Zimperium Security Firm available at the Google Play Store to determine if the device has been penetrated by the vulnerability. In case the device has been hacked, users will need to reinstall the software to regain security but the best way is getting a software update.

TagsGalaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Active, Galaxy S5, Galaxy S5 Active, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge, stagefright fix