CERT-In: Crores of Android users in the country are targeted by hackers, government agency warns

The India Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued a strong warning to all Android mobile users across the country. According to CERT-In, all versions of Android prior to version 12, v12L, v13, and v14 contain a high-level weakness that hackers can exploit to hack your phone. They can also seize all of the data stored on the phone. According to the research, hackers can use these holes to extract information from users' phones as well as install malware on them.

According to the CERT-In report, these bugs are present in the framework, system, Google Play system updates, kernel, arm component, MediaTek component, Imagination Technology, Qualcomm component, and Qualcomm closed source component. Let us tell you that out of these, MediaTek and Qualcomm are two major chipset manufacturing companies whose chipsets are used in most phones.

The victims of this bug can be those users who have smartphones with Android 11 and earlier versions, although currently most of the phones in the market are with Android 13. This means that only those users will be affected whose smartphone is at least 6-7 years old. If you also have an old phone, then you can avoid this bug by taking some precautions.

Do these things to avoid hacking

• Update the phone: The first thing to do is to update your phone. Install Android Verdan, security patch, and app updates.
• Auto update: This is the easiest way. Enable automatic updates by going to your phone settings.
• No third-party apps: Do not download apps from any app store other than Google Play Store.
• App permissions: Whenever you download an app on your phone, make sure to check what permissions it is taking. Do not give any permission that the app does not need.
• Factory reset: If you suspect that there is some problem with the phone or the phone has been hacked, then the best and most effective way is to factory reset it.