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Some Android Device Makers Are Lying About Security Patch Updates (phonedog.com)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Security patches for smartphones are extremely important because many people store personal data on their devices. Lots of Android phones out there get regularly security patches, but according to a new report, some of them are lying about the patches that they've actually gotten. According to a study by Security Research Labs, some Android phones are missing patches that they claim to have. Wired explains that SRL tested 1,200 phones from more than a dozen phone makers for every Android security patch released in 2017. The devices tested include ones from Google, Samsung, Motorola, LG, HTC, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Nokia, TCL, and ZTE. The study found that outside of Google and its Pixel phones, well-known phone makers had devices that were missing patches that they claimed to have. "We found several vendors that didn't install a single patch but changed the patch date forward by several months," says SRL founder Karsten Nohl.

6 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. Planned Obsolescence by A10Mechanic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Boardroom banter: Why should we provide free updates, when we can sell them a new phone...

    1. Re:Planned Obsolescence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "My phone is still totally fast and has plenty of space, but I'm missing a few security patches, so I'll just buy a new phone." said no customer ever.

  2. No shit .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is anybody even remotely surprised?

    One of the huge problems with Android is it is now so fragmented, and every vendor has filled it with their own custom shit and they've done god knows what to the core of it.

    As soon as it's shipped, they move on to the next product. They have neither the time, resources, nor inclination to maintain older versions of phones -- because they want you to buy a new one.

    The reality is, there are as many versions of Android as there are phones and companies who make them. And companies aren't going to spend the resources on a shipped product, because they've been paid for it already.

    So, yeah, they don't to updates, don't plan to do updates, and refuse to admit that it was abandonware before you even got your hands on it.

    To me, this is the greatest failing of Android.

    1. Re:No shit .... by farble1670 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      One of the huge problems with Android is it is now so fragmented, and every vendor has filled it with their own custom shit and they've done god knows what to the core of it.

      You get what you pay for.

      And one of the huge benefits of Android is that you aren't locked into one manufacturer. This is why you can get Android devices with SD card slots, dual SIMs, dual screens, touch sensitive sides, built in projectors, big screens, small screens, etc. If you don't want any of that, by all means buy Apple.

      Heck, you can even by an Android phone that gets the most up to date software and patches. All you have to do is pay for it. It costs about as much as an iPhone... surprised?

  3. Carriers... by yodleboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Plenty of the blame goes on carriers. If you have the new hotness, expect fairly regular updates. If not, good luck. Planned obsolescence is a load of crap perpetrated by carriers and manufacturers. I'd actually put more of the blame on carriers now that you pay full price + interest for phones in the US.

  4. Sounds like fraud. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 5, Insightful

    IANAL but this sure sounds an awful lot like fraud. They claim to be providing a service but don't actually provide it? The FTC should come down like a load of bricks on these companies.

    --
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