Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 vulnerability has been discovered inwards the wildly pop Google’s Stock Android Email App, that could last exploited past times malicious attackers to remotely crash your smartphone application merely past times sending a especially crafted email.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Kingdom of Spain safety researcher, Hector Marco, successfully exploited the vulnerability on his Samsung Milky Way S4 Mini running version 4.2.2.0200 of Stock Android Email App. He said the flaw appears to acquit on all older versions of Stock Android Email App, though devices running 4.2.2.0400 in addition to newer versions are non affected.
According to the researcher, when the victim receives the malicious e-mail in addition to tries to persuasion it, the e-mail app crashes. Further attempts to opened upwards the e-mail over again triggers a crash inwards the application earlier the victim tin produce anything.
The flaw (CVE-2015-1574) is due to wrong treatment of the Content-Disposition header. Hackers could exploit the vulnerability past times sending an e-mail amongst a malformed Content-Disposition header to the targeted user inwards guild to drive e-mail application crash.
The entirely agency to larn rid of this crash effect is to take away the malicious e-mail from the Stock Android Email App.
"Since the application crashes immediately, [and the] easiest in addition to straightforward agency to take away [the issue] is past times using other e-mail customer (or via web) from the inbox at the e-mail server," Marco explained inwards a blog post. "Another agency is past times disabling the internet connection (Airplane mode) earlier launching the e-mail reader, in addition to and thus yous tin take away the offending email."
However, removing the malicious e-mail from the app’s inbox is entirely a temporary solution because the attackers tin ship every bit many malicious e-mail every bit they want, Marco noted.
For proof-of-concept (PoC) demonstration, Marco publishes a python exploit code on Tuesday, in addition to explained how sending a especially crafted e-mail to a targeted user tin crash victim’s e-mail application.
So far, at that spot are no reports that Marco’s exploit besides industrial plant on iOS or other platform users. But the vulnerability affects a bulk of Android smartphone users every bit the version of Stock Email App from Google comes pre-installed on the official versions of Android.
It isn't clear whether the vulnerability has been reported to Google. Users tin upgrade their e-mail Android application to 4.2.2.0400 or higher inwards guild to protect themselves, but entirely those users who accept pick to upgrade.
Unfortunately the upgradation is non possible inwards all Android versions. Marco said his electrical flow Samsung Milky Way four mini was fully updated in addition to is vulnerable to this attack, because no higher versions to 4.2.2.0200 are available for his device.
