Samsung security flaw could let hackers remotely control your device — update your Galaxy phone right now
By Amber Bouman
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Samsung security flaw could let hackers remotely control your device — update your Galaxy phone right now
Amber Bouman
17 September 2025
Flaw was reported last month but a fix is finally rolling out
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Samsung users should update their devices as soon as possible as the company’s latest update includes a fix for a flaw that could allow hackers to gain access to your phone to remotely install malicious code on it. As reported by PCMag, the flaw in question (tracked as CVE-2025-21043) was first discovered last month and Apple pushed out a patch for it to iOS users with its 18.6.2 update. Now though, Samsung phones are receiving their own fix as part of a wider security update.
Realistically, it it unlikely that most users would be targeted with this particular attack but given that this is a critical vulnerability, it’s important that all users update their phones to address the flaw. It’s always considered to be a good idea to keep an operating system up-to-date for this particular reason and at the same time, you want to careful about the apps that you download onto a phone.
Samsung’s notes on the security update state that “out-of-bounds Write in libimagecodec.quarm.so prior to SMR sept 2025 release 1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.” This basically means that there is an issue with a third party tool on Samsung devices used by messaging apps to look at images in a way that could allow hackers access.
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Samsung issues security warning for most Galaxy users to update their phones now — what you need to know
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WhatsApp’s security team first discovered the vulnerability, which may affect over 3 billion users worldwide, making it a particularly attractive target for attackers. Meta, in turn, reported the bug to both Apple and Samsung last month. While Samsung doesn’t mention any other affected messaging apps in the security notes, that makes it even more important to download the security update on your phone. This bug affects all Samsung handsets running Android 13 or later, and iOS users should make sure that they’re running iOS 18.6.2 or later in order to stay protected.
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Amber Bouman is the senior security editor at Tom’s Guide where she writes about antivirus software, home security, identity theft and more. She has long had an interest in personal security, both online and off, and also has an appreciation for martial arts and edged weapons. With over two decades of experience working in tech journalism, Amber has written for a number of publications including PC World, Maximum PC, Tech Hive, and Engadget covering everything from smartphones to smart breast pumps.
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Samsung issues security warning for most Galaxy users to update their phones now — what you need to know
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