The Galaxy S20 FE is currently picking up the July security update in Asia and Europe. The LTE model sold in Asian countries is receiving the new SMR (Security Maintenance Release) with firmware version G780GXXS3CVF3. That for the European 5G model bears the firmware version G781BXXS4FVF3. The device should soon get the update in other markets too, including the US. The latest update for the Galaxy A53, meanwhile, is first rolling out in Samsung’s home country South Korea. The newly-launched premium mid-ranger, which is also available in the US, is receiving the July SMR with firmware version A536NKSU2AVFA. The update should go global in the coming days.
Samsung has detailed the content of the July security patch
Samsung has been rolling out the July security patch to its devices since last week. Earlier today, it published the detailed content of the new SMR. As usual, we are getting fixes for dozens of vulnerabilities here. Precisely, the company mentions fixes for 23 Android OS issues and 41 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items. SVEs are vulnerabilities that only affect Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones and tablets. Three of the Android OS vulnerabilities patched this month were of critical severity. These could cause extensive damage to users if an attacker exploited them in the wild. Additionally, at least seven SVE times were labeled as “high-severity” issues by Samsung. Some of those issues compromised the company’s Knox security platform, allowing attackers to launch certain activities without proper authentication. Attackers could also disable the keyguard and bypass the Knoxguard lock with a factory reset of the device. Another high-risk issue caused by improper access control vulnerability in TelephonyUI allowed attackers to change the preferred network type. Samsung has also fixed issues affecting AppLock, AppLinker, Alarm Manager, Wearable Manager, and more. All of these fixes are now rolling out to the Galaxy S20 FE and the Galaxy A53. The latter may also be getting additional optimizations and feature enhancements. If you’re using either of these devices, be on the lookout for the latest SMR. As usual, you will get a notification once the OTA (over the air) update reaches your unit.
