Stagefright bug 2.0 is the new virus that is attacking billions of Android powered devices today. The devices that are affected are the ones that run Android 5.1 or below and that had the original Stagefright bug patched. The mode of transmission of the said virus is through mp3 (audio) or mp4 (video) files.
NDTV reported that Google security team is warning Android users regarding the discovery of the new virus since the mode of invasion of Stagefright 2.0 is through the files that are most accessed like audio and video of the phone. The report said that if a user visits the host's infected song or video website and previews such media content, hackers can access the phone and may compromise the phone's security.
Zimperium, a security firm said in the related report that Stagefright 2.0 need not to know more information of its target Android phone, unlike with the Stagefright 1.0 that it has to determine mobile numbers to be able to send MMS or SMS. The security firm added, Google was notified about the bug in August, and the company flagged it as a critical vulnerability. "This issue is rated as a critical severity due to the possibility of remote code execution as the privileged media server service."
Omnifeed on the other hand noted that Samsung and Google have been sending monthly security updates to its customers until the patch arrives. The report also cautioned users to avoid previewing any audio or video files from untrusted websites. One of Android users wrote his sentiment on Reddit and hopes that bug patches should be available in situations like this so that users will not be able to experience such fraud from time to time.
Users must avoid opening untrusted websites to be able to avoid Stagefright 2.0 virus. At the moment, Google security team did not yet release any details regarding its actions toward the virus.
Join the Conversation