HTC recently announced that its found a security flaw within a handful of its Android phones and has already issued a fix on its website. While its nice to see that HTC has already identified and fixed the issue, we’re wondering how long the security flaw was around before it was made known to the public.
The security issue at hand pertains to secure information becoming exposed while on WiFi networks and affects the following handsets: Desire HD, Glacier, Droid Incredible, Thunderbolt, Sensation, Sensation 4G, Desire S, EVO 3D, and EVO 4G. As we said before, its interesting to see that the EVO 4G is among the handset affected by this issue, as it has been around for quite a while.
HTC posted on its website:
HTC has developed a fix for a small WiFi issue affecting some HTC phones. Most phones have received this fix already through regular updates and upgrades.However, some phones will need to have the fix manually loaded. Please check back next week for more information about this fix and a manual download if you need to update your phone.
HTC is trying to play the issue down and we’re not surprised. This wouldn’t be the first time security holes have been found in HTC handsets (due to the heavy customization it put into its devices) but users will be relieved that the fix itself is already available. The company claims that the fix has already been implemented in most of its handsets that had the security issue but some may require a manual update.
While we like the Sense UI for the most part, it’s issues like this that can show that heavy customizations from the OEM can produce more issues than stock Android, or even less heavily customize user interfaces for that matter. One of the main concerns about the Android operating system is that its less secure than its competition and manufacturers who punch holes in the security the OS does have just makes it worse. We think we’ll stick with the Nexus line, thanks.
If you’re rocking one of the HTC handsets listed above, check out the website to see if you need to manually update to get the fix.
[Via: TMONews]