How does that old expression go? When one person builds something, there is always another who is working to destroy it? Regardless of how you view it, people are always working to hack, smash, and cheat their way around safety measures for their personal gain. In 1950, the expression would probably work more with old wooden drawers and safes. Today, working around security parameters takes place in the wonderful world of computers, phones, tablets, and any other technology. Recently, Apple created a contest which gave anyone who could hack the new iPhone a monetary amount. Of course, that challenge was accepted and claimed within hours. And when something happens with Apple, a similar result happens with Android.
During a hacking contest known as MobilePwn2Own, Guang Gong discovered a very simple exploit that grants the user total control of Android phones. The demonstration of the hack took place with a Nexus 6. Gong installed an application which grants the hacker total control of the Android phone without the user being the wiser. The hack has not yet made it to the public sector, which will allow Android and Google to figure out security measures from actual practice occurring. Google released the following statement regarding the hack:
Congratulations to Guang Gong, and thank you for ultimately making the Android and Chrome ecosystem safer and stronger.
This author tends to think that when Android and Apple develop their new phone models, way too much time goes into the screen, functions, and the aesthetics of the product. These companies are massive; to have hacks as simple as installing a product on Chrome and being able to take over the entire functionality is maddening. Hopefully, these tech giants can prevent this stuff from happening in the future by taking the necessary time to build a safe product.
Thank you to the Gazette Union for the story and quote.
