ESET®, a global pioneer in proactive internet security for 25-years, today announced the availability of a free Android app – ESET Stagefright Detector – which helps users determine if their Android device is affected by the critical Stagefright exploit. The app is available in the Google Play Store now.
ESET makes available a free Android Stagefright Detector
First discussed at Black Hat 2015 last week, the Stagefright vulnerability allows attackers to gain control of Android phones via the Stagefright library, an open-source media player used by 95 percent of Android devices. The vulnerability gives attackers access to most of the victim’s phone data including email, photos, and personal information by simply sending an MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) message to the victim’s Android smartphone.
ESET StageFright Detector works with Android 4.0 and older versions of the Android operating system which includes {insert names of the Android OS versions… using the names would be appropriate for SEO and for a more general audience}. The new ESET app alone cannot repair the vulnerability, however once users activate the app and determine whether their Android smartphone is vulnerable they can click on the “Learn More about Stagefright” icon. This takes users to the ESET Knowledgebase article which provides safety steps to protect their data.
ESET recommends all Android smartphone users follow these steps to ensure their data is safe:
- Enable automatic updates on their device(s) to ensure they receive the latest patches from the device manufacturer or carrier
- Block MMS from unknown senders
- Disable automatic MMS retrieval in the Messaging setup
- Use a browser that is not vulnerable to Stagefright (for example, Firefox 38+)