Google Explains Why WebView Vulnerability Will Go Unpatched On Android 4.3

MojoKid writes If you're running Android 4.3 or earlier, you're pretty much out of luck when it comes to a baked-in defense against a WebView vulnerability that was discovered earlier this month by security analyst Tod Beardsley. The vulnerability leaves millions of users open to attack from hackers that choose to exploit the security hole. WebView is a core component of the Android operating system that renders web pages. The good news is that the version of WebView included in Android 4.4 KitKat and Android 5.0 Lollipop is based on Chromium and is not affected by the vulnerability. The bad news is that those running Android 4.3 and earlier are wide open, which means that 60 percent of Android users (or nearly one billion customers) are affected. What's most interesting is that Google has no trouble tossing grenades at the feet of Microsoft and Apple courtesy of its Project Zero program, but doesn't seem to have the resources to fix a vulnerability that affects a substantial portion of the Android user base.

Comments

Re:The solution is obvious

[mdielmann]

Exactly. I wouldn't blame Google for this, the problem lies with the carriers not upgrading their fleet of phones. Android is now 3 major version releases past 4.3. Would you really expect Microsoft to continue to support Windows XP anymore? They don't, unless business is willing to shell out big bucks for added support.

Carriers should really be to blame.

Two key differences. First, XP came out in 2001. Second, XP support ended last year. But to be fair, I'd be happy if Google would support their OS for even half that long. So, where is that support for Android 1.1?

Realistically, support should last at least as long as the longest contract in the countries their product is used in. If you went with the standard of a 3-year contract (I think there are 4-year contracts, but I'm certain my carrier has 3-year contracts), that would still leave the later releases of Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) under support. Face it, their Android OS support is abysmal.

Re:The solution is obvious

[tlhIngan]

Together, the others release dozens, and different companies share different responsibilities. Nice for consumer choice, but not so nice for support, since nobody wants to maintain a software stack nor wrestle with the politics involved in updating so many different devices.

You're off by an order of magnitude.

Samsung, in 2014, released about 3 smartphones per week. Yes, they have over 150 smartphones released in 2014. Tablet wise, I think it was over 1 tablet a week (it was over 50 around October).

It seems a lot of Android manufacturers see Android more as a "fire and forget" style of releases - just get a version of Android, stick it on, sell it, move on.

I mean, supporting 200 brand new Android devices (ignoring 2013 releases and prior) ...