Read Me Viber Flaw Allows Hackers to Bypass Android Smartphone Lock Screens – Video

snoopy · Apr 23, 2013

Viber Flaw Allows Hackers to Bypass Android Smartphone Lock Screens – Video

Experts from security firm Bkav have identified a vulnerability in Viber – the popular application that allows users to make calls, send text messages and photos for free. The security hole could be exploited to bypass the lock screen on Android smartphones and gain full access to the device.

According to the figures from Viber’s website and Google Play, as many as 100 million users might be impacted by the issue.

So how does the attack work?

There are three main steps:

1) Send a Viber message to the victim;
2) Make the Viber keyboard appear on the targeted device by performing some actions with message pop-ups;
3) Once the keyboard has appeared, a missed call must be created or the “Back” button must be pressed.

At this point, the lock screen should be unlocked, giving the attacker complete access to the device.

This third step depends on the targeted device. On HTC Sensation XE, a missed call must be created at step 3 to unlock the screen, while on Samsung Galaxy S2, Google Nexus 4 and Sony Xperia Z, the Back button must be pressed.

“The way Viber handles to popup its messages on smartphones' lock screen is unusual, resulting in its failure to control programming logic, causing the flaw to appear,” noted Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc, director of Bkav's security division.
Click to expand...

Full article & screenshots here: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Vibe...id-Smartphone-Lock-Screens-Video-347763.shtml

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