Microsoft: Helping Out Google Security. What about Microsoft Security?
June 14, 2022
While Microsoft is not among the big tech giants, the company still holds a prominent place within the technology industry. Microsoft studies rival services and products to gain insights as well as share anything to lower their standing such as a security threat, “Microsoft Researchers Discover Serious Security Vulnerabilities In Big-Name Android Apps.” The Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team found a slew of severe vulnerabilities in the mce Systems mobile framework used by large companies, including Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, and AT&T, for their apps.
Android phones have these apps preinstalled in the OS and they are downloaded by millions of users. These vulnerabilities could allow bad actors to remotely attack phones. The types of attacks range from command injection to privilege escalation.
The Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team shared the discovery:
“Revealing details of its findings, the security research team says: ‘Coupled with the extensive system privileges that pre-installed apps have, these vulnerabilities could have been attack vectors for attackers to access system configuration and sensitive information’.
In the course of its investigation, the team found the mce Systems’ framework had a “BROWSABLE” service activity that an attacker could remotely invoke to exploit several vulnerabilities that could allow adversaries to implant a persistent backdoor or take substantial control over the device.”
Vulnerabilities also affected apps on Apple phones. Preinstalled apps simplify device activation, troubleshooting, and optimize performance. Unfortunately, this gives apps control over the majority of the phone and the bad actors will exploit them to gain access. Microsoft is worked with mce Systems to fix the threats.
Interestingly, Microsoft found the security threats. Maybe Microsoft wants to reclaim its big tech title by protecting the world from Google’s spies?
Whitney Grace, June 14, 2022
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