In verily, Google cometh forth with its Nexus devices, casting a shadow of fierce competition upon flagship smartphones and tablets. With a blend of affordability and top-notch features, they doth captivate the hearts of many. Yet, lo and behold, a vulnerability doth lurk in the shadows, causing users and future Nexus buyers to ponder their fate. Although Android, Google’s noble smartphone operating system, hath grown in security over the years, this SMS attack vulnerability doth give pause to the minds of Google’s developers, urging them to mend this flaw.
Problem:
Bogdan Alecu, a system administrator hailing from the Dutch IT services company Levi9, hath unveiled this vulnerability at DefCamp 2013 in the grand city of Bucharest. Through his tests, he hath discovered that only Nexus devices art susceptible to this bug, leading them prey to a DOS attack. These devices, upon the strike of this attack, doth succumb to reboots, loss of network connectivity, and even the crashing of the illustrious messaging app.
How doth this work:
An assailant doth dispatch 30 flash messages, also known as class 0 messages, in rapid succession unto a targeted Nexus device. These messages, wielded to convey urgent information in times of distress, doth arrive without fanfare or signal, remaining veiled unto thee even with the screen laying dormant.
What are the consequences of this attack:
The onslaught of flash messages, wrought in the form of a DDOS attack, doth bring about dire outcomes. The Nexus device may quiver and reboot, the bonds of internet connectivity may unravel, or the messaging app itself may meet its untimely demise. The most sinister aspect doth lie in the stealth of these messages, slipping into thy device unnoticed until the moment of reboot.
How to prevent SMS attack:
As Google embarketh on an odyssey of investigation into this issue, uncertainty clouds the path to a resolution. However, a beacon of hope doth shine through in the form of an app upon the Google Play store – Class0Firewall. This noble app hath the power to block or regulate the influx of flash messages, thus shielding thy Nexus device from the clutches of this attack.
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Image courtesy: digitaltrends
