Sprint has recently started rolling out the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update for its Samsung Galaxy S4.
Apart from the general improvements that the latest version of the Lollipop brings to the device, it also comes with a security patch designed against the Stagefright hack.
The Android 5.1.1 Lollipop released by Sprint for the Galaxy S4 upgrades the device's software build version to N910PVPU4COG5. It is almost 616MB in size and can be downloaded over the air, GSM Arena has learned.
The roll out is currently being conducted in stages which means not everyone will receive it at the same time. But some users can expect to receive a notification informing them of the update's availability.
Samsung's Galaxy S4 came with the stock Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean when it was officially released in 2013. Through a previous update, the device's OS was upgraded to the Android 5.0 Lollipop.
As the latest version of Google's OS, users can expect to see various new features and improvements in their devices once they download and install the 5.1.1 update.
Some of these include new customization options for the notification settings and various bug fixes.
Probably the most significant feature of the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update for the Galaxy S4 is a new security patch designed to protect the device from a recently discovered cyber attack known as Stagefright.
According to a report by Forbes, security experts have discovered that a single malicious MMS text could be used to exploit the data and devices of Android users.
Stagefright, which was named after the operating system's playback tool, works through text messages with a malicious code. These messages contain links to an audio or video file.
Once the message is detected by Stagefright, it leaves the device vulnerable to an attack. Hackers can then steal personal information of users or exploit the device's system.
According to Joshua Drake, an executive from the tech security firm Zimperium zLabs, Android devices that are running on firmware version 2.2 or higher are vulnerable to the attack. However, just to be safe, Drake advised users to assume that all devices can be attacked regardless of their system's version.
Based on the firm's investigations, about 95 percent of Google's Android devices can be exploited using the Stagefright hack. Users can protect their selves from getting hacked by disabling their devices' MMS feature.
Fortunately for Sprint's Galaxy S4 users, the update patches up the vulnerabilities of the Stagefright tool. Hopefully, other carriers will also release a similar security update to protect their Android users.
