Security flaw found in T-Mobile’s G1 Android phone

By on Oct 25, 2008 at 3:09 PM
General October 25, 2008

android

A group of security researchers uncovered a security flaw in the web browser portion of Android that runs on the G1. According to researcher, Charles A. Miller the flaw could be exploited when a G1 user is tricked into visiting a malicious Web site. Malicious code on the website could then use this exploit to install software on the G1 that may, among other things, log keystrokes. Google has acknowledged the security flaw and points out that the sandbox-nature of Android limits the damage to a single application. Unlike other smartphones (read: iPhone) and PCs, this security flaw only affects the web browser and will not compromise any other portions of the phone. Google has already patched the open-source version of Android and is currently working with T-Mobile and HTC to get the security patch out to current T-Mobile customers. Hooray for OTA software upgrades as G1 owners now just need to wait for T-Mobile to push the patch out to their phone! Happy and soon-to-be-safe Android browsing!

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  • Esquire0399

    It’s great to see Google, HTC, and T-Mobile addressing these issues so quickly. If only every company was so prompt.

  • Perspective

    Yeah all 100,000 G1 owners can now browse safely. They still can’t check their non-Google mail, but you can’t win ‘em all.

  • jumperboy

    i was eager to get a g1, but now i think i will pass. lack of email and security concerns aren’t what i wanted to hear.

    anyone here tried a bold?

  • TheMatic

    “Perspective” needs a little perspective!
    There are over a million G1 owners & you CAN check non-Google mail on the G1.

  • MadMike

    OTA software updates. That’s nice.

  • Andrew

    It would be interesting to hear more about this hack as they seem to make a pretty bold and bogus claim in the article:

    “Unlike modern personal computers and other advanced smartphones like the iPhone, the Google phone creates a series of software compartments that limit the access of an intruder to a single application.”

    The iPhone is very compartmentalized. That is why there is no cut and paste – all apps are limited to their own directory. Anyone that has jailbroken an iPhone is familiar with how one app can NOT access data in another apps directory unless permissions are changed.

    Anyone else know more about this comment? It is true for WinMo smartphones – no perms at all, but I am pretty sure that the iPhone doesn’t apply. Is this just a dig at apple?

  • Peter

    Hey Perspective, hows MobileMe working out for you?

  • HTC Touch Me

    the whole open aspect of the OS will be its downfall.

  • Jeremiah

    Riiiiiight. Just like Linux has just been such an epic fail, and why Symbian is trying to get its S60 open-sourced…

  • Stop-N-Go

    I told you all this was a half-assed device. Wonder what other flaws we’re going to find out about in the coming weeks. Google sure didn’t do a great job with their first go.

  • t

    @ stop n go. What????? I think they did a great job considering this is version 1.0 of there software.

  • gothenstop

    Stop-n-go posts negative shit about the g1 all the time.trust me this isn’t the first post I have seen from him like this. He is bitter because he wanted to leave apple for the g1 but his mom didn’t let him. Plus he never has actually used or held a g1 in his life. I tried to ask him in another comment but he never responded. He just like talking crap about it because he is scared that android might actually be pretty bad ass when it gets polished up. Stop making half ass comments stop-n-go, because you can’t back em up or fix them via OTA once you posted.lol.

  • Radar_One

    I love the iFans here…zzzzzz
    BoyGeniusReport has become “iPhone Fanboy Report” lately….a total waste of time.

  • gothenstop

    @RADAR,

    I agree as well.

    A couple of BGR articles are not the greatest either. Lately, its like they just went on crack and started changing the way they did things. Mostly i just post because people say some stupid things.

  • jonathan p

    this was their first attempt at a phone software. If that is the only known problems, they are ahead of the game.

  • JL

    I got an update on my G1 friday morning. Wondering if that was the fix for the security flaw?

  • Ben

    LOL,It looks like the honeymoon is over already. It will get better over time.

  • TMOG1Rocks

    Wow if it aint apple it no get published good reports. G1 rocks

  • FeedME

    This is where being open sourch may suck for Google. I sure they are gonna find more security type flaws and because Google is open about it’s security unlike Apple, we are gonna see a lot hating fanboys. Oh yeah the Phone companies are gonna have to be on top of their game also because open source software is like update every week This is going to be a headache for Tmobile who could even get my FREAKING REBATE PROCESSED!!!!!!

  • Muntari

    Please show us where all these million G1 owners are, the CEO of HTC himself said they will only sell 600,000 for the whole of 2008.

  • Muntari

    Working fine for me.

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