Israeli cyber security researchers claim to have found a major hole in Samsung’s Knox security software that leaves Galaxy S4 devices used for enterprise and government work vulnerable to hackers.
The reported security hole makes it possible for malware to intercept secure data, such as emails, on GS4 smartphones that are supposed to be protected by the Knox software, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Knox platform is designed so users can keep their personal data on the same device as their sensitive, work-related data, which is protected separately by the Samsung security software.
But in the worst-case scenario projected from the recently reported vulnerability, it could be possible for hackers to use the security hole to install a hostile code that could cripple an enterprise’s entire security network, the report said, citing cyber security experts at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.
The university researchers said the security gap is considered a “category one,” or the most serious, vulnerability.
Samsung is aware of the researchers’ allegations, but the South Korean company said an initial investigation found the problem is not as serious as the university’s cyber security experts allege.
source: smh.com
