A new report from security firm Check Point Research shows how Qualcomm chips can pose a serious security threat to your device. Hackers can easily use the Qualcomm Mobile Station Modem (MSM), which dates back to the early 1990s.
Qualcomm MSM is commonly used in 2G / 3G / 4G smartphones and even some 5G devices today, and has a critical security flaw. This flaw can be exploited remotely by hackers as easily as text messaging.
When attackers take advantage of this use, they can eavesdrop on your phone calls, read all your text messages, and even unlock your SIM card to bypass operator restrictions. The report adds that about 30% of smartphones worldwide use Qualcomm chips and therefore have potential uses.
The only solution is to update your devices with the latest security patches.
According to another report in the Tom Handbook, Qualcomm provided a security patch for the use of MSM as early as December 2020. This is because the chip manufacturer was warned of the vulnerability before the report was released.
According to some reports, Google also plans to address this use of the June security patch.
