Google Confirms Android Attacks—No Fix For Most Samsung Users
Watch this space — you need this update ASAP.
Android is under attack. Google issued a warning on December 1st, along with an emergency update for all Pixel users. However, for most Samsung users, these fixes are not yet available, despite attacks already underway. Google confirms that the vulnerabilities CVE-2025-48633 and CVE-2025-48572 are being actively exploited, leading to remote denial of service on target smartphones without requiring additional execution privileges.
The FBI has also issued a warning to all smartphone users, urging them to stop making certain calls. Samsung, in response to Google's warning, confirmed its own fixes within hours and addressed three other vulnerabilities disclosed by Google's Project Zero, which studies zero-day vulnerabilities in global hardware and software systems.
Just 24 hours after Google's confirmation, the U.S. cyber defense agency, CISA, issued a warning, mandating federal staff to update or stop using phones due to an unspecified vulnerability in Android's Framework that allows for privilege escalation.
Samsung's dominance in the Android market, with a global market share exceeding 30%, highlights the challenge of updating all devices promptly. While Samsung should prioritize its users, the company's update cycle, which can take up to a month to deploy critical fixes, is a significant issue. Additionally, Samsung's lack of seamless updates on most models, except for the Galaxy S25 and a few mid-range phones, further exacerbates the problem.
Despite these challenges, Samsung cannot compete with Google's control over hardware and software. Google's unique position ensures that its devices receive new OS versions, feature releases, and security updates first. This has led to delays in the release of One UI 7 and One UI 8 (Android 15 and 16), frustrating many Samsung users.
All Samsung Galaxy phones will eventually receive the update, but the deployment will be gradual, based on model, region, and carrier. In a competitive market where Pixel and Apple are quick to release updates, Samsung must accelerate its update process to avoid being left behind. The future of Android updates seems uncertain, and Samsung's role in this ecosystem is under scrutiny.
