The OnePlus 6 came out and it works better than its predecessor. However, a developer discovered a serious OnePlus 6 security flaw. A researcher noticed something that has to do with the bootloader protection on the smartphone, which could jeopardize the system if a tech-savvy hacker got a hold of it.
According to a report on XDA Developers, the first person who noticed the OnePlus 6 security flaw was researcher and developer Jason Donenfeld of Edge Security. The bootloader protection on the OnePlus 6 isn’t locked down the way that it should be, which means that any hacker with access to the phone could insert malware into it. The bootloader is the part of the phone’s firmware which prevents users from replacing the phone’s OS with something else.
The OnePlus 6 with insufficient bootloader protection would let someone install any code on it without going through several security levels first. Nevertheless, there is no reason to worry.
A Fix is on its way
In order to take advantage of the security flaw a hacker would need physical access to the OnePlus 6, a USB cable and a computer, which isn’t so easy to acquire if users have their own phones with them at all times. Still, it’s an oversight from the manufacturer which needs to get fixed as soon as possible.
A OnePlus spokeperson has provided a statement to XDA developers regarding the issue, confirming that the manufacturer is working on a fix which will roll out soon. That being said, don’t leave your phone unsupervised. The bug was also reported by multiple engineers from OnePlus, according to the report.
“We take security seriously at OnePlus. We are in contact with the security researcher, and a software update will be rolling out shortly,” a OnePlus spokesperson said.
We will update you as soon as the update is available, and if OnePlus really takes security seriously, the fix will be released shortly. Until then, keep your phone close!
