Google: turn off Wi-Fi Calling and VoLTE in Pixel/Samsung devices affected by major security issues
Several Samsung, Google Pixel and Vivo devices are affected by critical security issues that allow threat actors to remotely compromise affected devices without user interaction. People who own affected devices may disable Wi-Fi Calling and Voice-over-LTE to protect their devices from attacks.
Google's Project Zero team reported 27 0-day vulnerabilities in Exynos Modems produced by Samsung Semiconductor to Samsung in late 2022 and early 2023. Google engineers rated four of the vulnerabilities as critical, as they allowed attackers to compromise devices remotely without user interaction.
Attackers require a device's phone number only to carry out attacks against these. Google suggests that "skilled attackers would be able to quickly create an operational exploit to compromise affected devices silently and remotely".
Google decided to withheld information about the four critical security issues because of this. The remaining vulnerabilities, the 14 mentioned and 9 additional ones that do not have an assigned CVE yet, are not "as severe" according to Google, as they " require either a malicious mobile network operator or an attacker with local access to the device".
The affected devices
Samsung published a Product Security Update for March 2023, in which it lists the affected Exynos chipsets and products.
The following devices are affected by the vulnerabilities:
- Samsung mobile devices, including those in the S22, M33, M13, M12, A71, A53, A33, A21, A13, A12 and A04 series.
- Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 7 series devices.
- Vivo mobile devices, including those in the S16, S15, S6, X70, X60 and X30 series.
- Wearables that use the Exynos W920 chipset.
- Vehicles that use the Exynos Auto T5123 chipset.
Google notes that the vulnerabilities may not be exploited if users turn off Wi-Fi Calling and Voice-over-LTE on their devices.
Note: this is a temporary precaution to protect devices. Once manufacturers release updates, it is no longer necessary to disable these preferences. Also, some users may not be able to disable the options, depending on use.
This is done in the following way on most Samsung devices:
- Open the Settings app on the device.
- Select Connections > Mobile networks.
- Uncheck VoLTE calls there.
- Swipe down from the top to display the quick settings.
- Locate Wi-Fi calling there. You may need to swipe to the right to display the option.
Closing Words
Google notes that it has addressed one of the issues in the March 2023 Patch for its Pixel devices. There does not appear to be a timeline yet regarding the remaining vulnerabilities. Users of affected devices should pay attention to security update releases and install these as soon as possible to protect their devices against potential exploits.
Thanks for the tip Martin.
It is for these kinds of posts that I follow GHacks.
What’s up with the generic comment, are you a bot?
2G?
Where on the planet is that still in use? I was forced to give up using my RAZRV3 years ago because 2G was phased out by AT&T.
Everywhere 3G has been turned off and you don’t have LTE coverage, and believe me there are many developed countries where this is the case and if it weren’t for 2G you wouldn’t even be able to make a phone call.
Maybe I missed it, but I don’t believe tha term “2G” is in the article. Perhaps you are referring to “AGM G2”??
@Martin
Your website has gone insane.
When I the post button I then saw my comment posted on a different article page. When I opened this article again, it is here.
@Tachy @Martin Brinkmann
” Your website has gone insane. ”
Same here. Has happened several times.
@Tachy,
@Martin P.,
For over two weeks now,
I’ve been seeing “Comments” posted by subscribers appearing in different, unrelated articles.
https://www.ghacks.net/windows-11-update-stuck-fixed-for-good/#comment-4572991
https://www.ghacks.net/windows-11-update-stuck-fixed-for-good/#comment-4572951
For the time being,
it would be better to specify the “article name and URL” at the beginning of the post.
@tachy a lot of non-phone devices with a sim in them rely on 2G, at least here in europe.
Usually things reporting usage or errors/alarms on something remote that does not get day to day inspection in person. They are out there in vast numbers doing important work. Reliable, good range. The low datarate is no problem at all in those cases.
3G is gone or on its last legs everywhere, but this stuff still has too much use to cancel.
Anyhow, interesting that they would put that in. I can see the point if you suspect a hostile 2G environment (amateur eavesdroppers with laptop, ranging up to professional grade MITM fake towers while “strangely” not getting the stronger crypto voip 4G because it is being jammed, and back down to something as old ‘stingray’ devices fallen into the wrong hands).
But does this also mean that they have handled and rolled out a fix for that nasty 4G ‘pwn by broadcast’ problem you reported earlier this year? I had 4G disabled due to that, on the off chance that some of the local criminals would buy some cheap chinese gear, download a working exploit and probe every phone in range all over town in the hope of getting into phones of the police.
>”While most may never be attacked in stingrays, it is still recommended to disable 2G cellular connections, especially since it does not have any downsides.”
The downside would be losing connectivity. I spend a lot of time way out in the countryside where there’s often no service or almost none. My network allows 2G, and I need it sometimes. I have an option on the phone to disable 2G, I may do that when I’m in the city and I have good 5G connectivity, but not out in the country.
I would imagine that the stingray exploits, like most of the bad things in this world, are probably things you will run into in the crowded big cities.
I stopped using it in a mobile (Wi-Fi line) environment, so I’m almost ignorant of the actual situation,
But the recent reality in Japan makes me realize that “the infrastructure of the web is nothing more than a papier-mâché fiction”.
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/17/google-chrome-to-enable-https-first-by-default-for-all-users/#comment-4572402
It is already beyond the scope of what an individual can do.
What we should be aware of is the reality that “governments and those in power want to control the world through the Web”, and efforts to counter (resist and prevent) such ambitions are necessary.
Why do you want people to disable the privacy features? Hmmmmm?
Now You: do you plan to keep the Ads privacy features enabled?
I’d like to tell you, but apparently if you make a post critical of Google, you get censored. * [Editor: removed, just try to bring your opinion across without attacking anyone]
@Martin
You website is still psychotic. Comments attach to random stories.
@Martin please do fix the comments, it’s completely insane commenting here! :[
@Martin
The comments are seriously messed up on gHacks now. These comments are mixed with the article at the below URL.
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/18/android-how-to-disable-2g-cellular-connections-to-improve-security/
And comments on other articles are from as far back as 2010.
What does this article has anything to do with all the comments on this article? LOL I think this Websuite is ran by ChatGPT. every article is messed up. Some older comments from 2015 shown up in recant articles, LOL
The picture captioned “Clearing the Android Auto’s cache might resolve the issue” is from Apple Carplay ;)
How about other things that matter:
Drop survival?
Screen toughness?
Degree of water and dust protection?