News Phones 39 39 people found this article helpful Google Patches Android Security Risk, Update Now The latest fix addresses three critical flaws by Rob LeFebvre Senior News Editor Rob LeFebvre has been a freelance technology writer for 10 years and an educator for 20. His articles have appeared in 148Apps, Cult of Mac, Engadget, and many others. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Rob LeFebvre Published March 5, 2020 Updated March 5, 2020 01:06PM EST Phones Phones Internet & Security Computers Smart & Connected Life Home Theater Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming View More Tweet Share Email Why This Matters This isn't a typical security patch, but one that includes several flaws classified as critical. Update your Android device to the latest version immediately. Wikimedia Make sure you update your Android device to the latest security patch as soon as possible. There are three critical bugs it addresses (and four more less critical ones, as well). The details: The security flaw that's getting the most attention is known as MediaTek-su by Android developers and CVE-2020-00069 by Google. The bug itself lets attackers gain root access to your Android device without having to unlock the bootloader, reports Sophos' Naked Security blog. While MediaTek itself says it patched the vulnerability in May 2019, the Android developer group XDA notes there are millions of Android devices in the wild that haven't received the fix from the company, and they may never. Even more: Other serious bugs in the update include ones in the media framework, which handles camera, audio, and video. These allow remote attackers access to your device's media codecs. Other bugs include vulnerabilities in what's called "privilege elevation," which could allow a user that isn't you higher access in the operating system than they should be allowed. The Bottom Line: If we've said it once, we've said it a thousand times: keep your devices updated with the latest updates. That includes iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and all of your smart home devices. There's no reason not to do it. Via: Forbes Become an Expert on Android Security The 11 Best Privacy and Security Apps for Android Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit