Row.co.uk Blog


It’s been revealed by Google that the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has security flaws

11 security flaws were highlighted, one of which includes a loophole that could have been used by hackers to gain control of a victim’s mobile phone. 

A large majority of the issues were resolved after Google had notified Samsung, though some of which are yet to be addressed. 

One expert explained that the bugs “significantly weakened the security of Google’s operating system.”

“There is definitely a tension between Google and the handset manufacturers because Google wants to protect its Android brand and when it comes to security, Android has been quite tarnished.” added Dr Steven Murdoch, a security researcher at the University College London. 

Samsung said the three remaining bugs would be fixed via a security update later this month; “Maintaining the trust of our customers is a top priority”. 

Details of the bugs were found by Google’s Project Zero Team. Their job is to hunt down the previously unknown computer security flaws. It is said that several of those flaws would have been “trivial to exploit”. 

The team blogged “It is promising that the highest severity issues were fixed and updated on-device in a reasonable timeframe".

One of the big vulnerabilities was a weakness found in the Samsung email software, which could have given hackers the chance to forward all of the victim’s messages to their own account.

Another weakness allowed hackers to change settings of Samsung’s photo-viewing application by sending the handset a specially encoded image. 

Google said the most interesting flaw was the “directory traversal bug” found in a wi-fi utility built in to the phone. 

“If someone provided malicious data to the software, they could then change other files on the system and interfere with other functions, in particular security functions” said Dr Murdoch. To do this, he said, a hacker would also need to convince their target to install a malicious app, which might appear to have very limited access to the phone’s other functions. However, by exploiting the flaw, the malware could then escalate its privileges. 

“This would only happen as part of a chain of events, but eventually it could allow someone to take over the entire phone” Dr Murdoch added. “Android tried to have layers of protection, so even if you break past one level of protection there’s another one…this removed some quite important layers of that protection.” 

Samsung confirmed they had addressed this particular issue in a security update released last month, and they are encouraging users to keep their software and apps up to date at all times.


Having insurance for your Samsung Galaxy is very important and beneficial. If you haven’t yet looked into getting cover, it’s never too late! Row.co.uk offers fantastic insurance for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, at a great price. 

You can get covered for: 
- Accidental Damage & Breakdown
- Screen & Liquid Damage 
- Theft, Loss & Unauthorised Calls
- Cracked Screens


*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

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Samsung vs. Apple

Row.co.uk Blog

Samsung vs. Apple

It’s the great smartphone war of the 21st century. The court took three and a half days deliberating the Apple vs. Samsung case earlier this year. 

Apple alleged that Samsung had violated 4 patents, and the legal war came to a head in May this year. The Californian jury decided that Samsung had violated some of Apple’s patents and owes the iPhone manufacturer damages. This was less than 5% of what Apple was hoping for. 

Samsung was convicted of violating 2 patents, including data tapping and auto-complete and Apple was subsequently awarded $119.6 million in damages… which reportedly won’t even cover the expense of the trial itself. 

On Wednesday 6th August, Apple and Samsung agreed to end all patent lawsuits outside the US between themselves, after over three years of legal hostilities. 

The ‘legal war’ aside… which company rules the roost? Let’s take a quick look at the new Galaxy S5, Samsung’s flagship SmartPhone and the iPhone 5S, Apple’s high-end handset: 

Weight 
The iPhone 5S weights 112g which is much lighter than the Galaxy 5S which weighs in at 145g. 

Material 
The iPhone 5S is made of anodised aluminium and is available in gold, silver and grey. The Galaxy S5 is made from plastic, but available in slightly more colours – black, white, gold and blue. 

Screen 
The iPhone 5S screen (4in display) looks very small in comparison to the Galaxy 5S 5.1in screen. 

Memory 
Samsung wins the battle here – with 2GB of RAM, double the space that iPhone 5S offers. 

Camera 
Both phones boast fantastic cameras that provide top quality, detailed and accurate photos. The iPhone 5S has an 8-megapixel camera with a dual LED flash and the Galaxy S5 has a 16-megapixel sensor. 

Software
Put simply, the iPhone 5S uses Apple’s iOS operating system, whereas Galaxy S5 uses Google’s Android. A few years ago, there were significantly fewer apps available to users, but apps are increasingly available on both platforms. 

In summary? The Galaxy S5 has better battery life, a bigger screen, it’s heavier and the camera is a bit more advanced. Having said that, the iPhone is a classic design and will be replaced with iPhone 6 later on this year. It ultimately comes down to which operating system you prefer! 

 

Samsung Galaxy S5

Apple iPhone 5S

Weight

145g

112g

Material

plastic - available in black, white, gold and blue

 

anodised aluminium - available in gold, silver and grey

Screen

5.1in display

4in display

Memory

2GB of RAM

1GB of RAM

Camera

16-megapixel sensor

8-megapixel camera with a dual LED flash

Software

Google’s Android

Apple’s iOS operating system


Head on over to Facebook and let us know whether you prefer Samsung or Apple! Join the debate.

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

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