Android Lock Screen Could Fall To Massive Passwords

The lock screen of a modern day smartphone can be said to be the first layer of security. After all, smartphones are extremely personal devices, so ensuring that no Tom, Dick, or Harry are able to access it easily is of utmost importance. Apparently, handsets that are powered by the Android Lollipop mobile operating system are able to be unlocked through the entering of a very long password, which will result in the lock screen crashing. I suppose this is where fans of a fingerprint unlocking system would toot their horn.

This unique vulnerability was picked up by researchers at Texas University in Austin, and taking into consideration just how widespread Android Lollipop has made its way around in the Android ecosystem, it potentially affects 21% of Android devices that are currently in use, where all that the attacker needs to do to is to overload the lock screen with text, nothing else.

Do bear in mind that if your Android Lollipop-powered handset has been set to PIN or pattern unlock, it will remain safe and sound. This is an attack that requires physical access to the handset, and a software update should be able to squash the bug nice and good.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Android, password