In late July 2015, a bug dubbed Stagefright was discovered, that had the ability to secretly sneak onto Android phones via Multi Media Text Messages (MMS), affecting Android phones running OS 2.2 and later.
Since its discovery, Google has released several patches to address the Stagefright vulnerability before these bugs can be exploited in the wild, with the most recent patch issued in early October. These patches were rolled out to new builds of Android 5.1.1, Nexus devices and shared with Android manufacturers.
It is important to note that when Google launches an Android update, it is then sent to the manufacturer of the specific phone, and in turn, that manufacturer releases the update to their users. This bug can still be problematic if users are unable to update their devices in a timely matter. It is extremely important for a user to check their manufacturer’s website in order to make sure there are plans to patch this vulnerability in the immediate future.
If you are using a device that is either too old and the manufacturer is no longer providing updates, or have a device that the manufacturer has not rolled out an update for, never fear, Norton is here! We have enhanced our latest version of Norton Halt in response to Stagefright 2.0 and other vulnerabilities. Designed for the Android platform, Norton Halt alerts you about the latest, breaking security vulnerabilities and exploits, and other issues. Norton Halt can check your phone for this vulnerability and a host of others, for free available on the Google Play Store now.