Firmware
Samsung April 2023 Security Patch fixes various Exynos flaws with over 60 vulnerabilities
Last week, Samsung began rolling out the Android April 2023 security patch for its Galaxy devices. And the update was first available for the latest Galaxy S23 Series, and now the Korean giant has released the report on what security flaws it has resolved with its new software update.
Samsung April 2023 security patch
Samsung is one of the top companies which always brings new updates for devices as soon as possible. According to the information, two Galaxy devices have already received the April 2023 security update, including the Galaxy S23 series and Galaxy Z Fold 4 devices.
As per the official documentation of Samsung, there are over 50 patches included by Google; from those 46 are high-security patches, 4 are critical and 1 is moderate.
In addition to the 55 security fixes released by Google, Samsung has added 15 additional fixes for security flaws found in Galaxy smartphones and tablets. Most of these vulnerabilities have been found in Galaxy devices running Android 11, Android 12, and Android 13, and some of these fixes include those found in Samsung Exynos chips.
Among these were various flaws that could have been exploited to gain unauthorized access or control of the device. These vulnerabilities included issues with input validation in the CertByte function, out-of-bounds write in the libaudiosaplus_sec.so function, and improper authorization in SecSettings.
Additionally, Samsung addressed vulnerabilities related to improper access control in features such as SemClipboard, SLocation, and Telephony. The patch also fixed security loopholes in the TIGERF trustlet, a hijacking vulnerability in CertificatePolicy, and an improper authorization issue in the Smart Suggestions widget. By addressing these vulnerabilities, Samsung has taken steps to ensure the security and privacy of its users.
Below is a list of the devices that have already received, or will receive, April 2023 security patches:
- Galaxy Z Fold2, Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, Galaxy Z Fold4, Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, Galaxy Z Flip4, W23, W23 flip
- Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 5G, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20+ 5G, Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy S20 FE 5G, Galaxy S21 5G, Galaxy S21+ 5G, Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S21 FE 5G, Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Galaxy Note20, Galaxy Note20 5G, Galaxy Note20 Ultra, Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, Galaxy A52s 5G, Galaxy A53 5G, Galaxy Xcover5, Galaxy Xcover6 Pro
The list is probably not exhaustive, as Samsung will update other smartphones and maybe some tablets (despite the updates being quarterly for different models) and smartwatches (Galaxy Watch4, Watch4 Classic, Watch5 and Watch5 Pro). The April 2023 security patch rollout will last a few weeks: keep following us as we will keep you abreast of developments.
Samsung has been rolling out a new 4G band support update for devices in Europe, which aims to enhance LTE connectivity for smartphones. It has already been rolled out for almost all the popular devices. Now, surprisingly, a new 4G enhancement update has been spotted for older devices as well, including the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy A5.
Notably, the latest updates for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy A5 are getting new updates with the firmware version numbers G930FPHN8EXD1 and A520FPHNGCXD1, respectively. However, the changelog doesn’t include any details about the update; it repeats similar descriptions, like the standard security patch, which says, “Device stability improvements, bug fixes. New and/or improved features. Further performance improvements.”.
As the company may aim to provide a new band support for 4G TDD, the software is coming with a smaller software package of 16.21 MB, but it is still using the December 2020 security patch, which was the last security patch to arrive for the devices.
In addition to the 4G enhancement, the company may implement minor bug fixes to enhance the stability of the devices. We are currently seeing the update in the Netherlands and anticipate its availability in more countries in the coming days.
If you are using the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy A5 in Europe, then you can easily check for the update by going to the software update menu via system settings. If the update has not arrived on your device, then wait for some time, as it takes time to reach available units.
Firmware
Galaxy XCover6 and XCover7 Get Boost: Second April 2024 Update Brings LTE TDD Support to Europe
Samsung is consistently rolling out a new update to the Galaxy device, which aims to enhance network connectivity. The new software is coming under the second April 2024 security patch. After introducing the update to the popular devices, it has started rolling out the update to the Galaxy XCover7 and Galaxy XCover6 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy XCover6 and XCover7 get support LTE TDD
Notably, the Galaxy XCover7 and Galaxy XCover6 Pro are getting new updates with the firmware version numbers G556BXXU2AXD6 and G736BXXU5DXD2, respectively. The update is exclusively available in Europe.
With the new update, the company has rolled out a new band as LTE TDD; however, the company hasn’t provided any details about the changes, but it is expected that the company will improve the overall speeds or provide stable connections to the 4G-enabled devices.
According to the changelog, models purchased in Germany cannot receive signals in LTE TDD bands in the following countries: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Czech Republic.
If you are using the Galaxy XCover 7 or Galaxy XCover 6 Pro in any European country, then you can now update these devices by simply going to the software update menu in the system settings. If the update has not arrived on your device yet, then you have to wait for some time, as it takes time to reach every unit of the devices.
Samsung has recently rolled out an April 2024 security patch update in the Galaxy S23 device. With the last update, it provided security-related enhancements, and now, with the same changelog, the UAE units of the device are getting a second security patch update.
Users of the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra are receiving new updates with the firmware S911BXXS4CXD8, S916BXXS4CXD8, and S918BXXS4CXD8, respectively.
As mentioned above, the latest update is coming with the same changelog; therefore, it is unclear what’s new with the update. Hopefully, the update will fix some bugs and improve the functionality of the devices. It is worth noticing that the update is coming after Android 14 and One UI 6.1, so the company may fix the internal issues.
On the other side, the company hasn’t published any official information about it, but if you are using the Galaxy S23 device in Middle Eastern countries, then you should update your device to the latest version by simply going to the software update menu, and if it shows the April 2024 security update is available, then tap on the download button.
Informatively, the Galaxy S23 device was launched back in 2023 and comes with Android 13. The latest version of the device has received one major update in the form of Android 14 and also provides the One UI 6.1 update, which has provided several new features. To get up-to-date features, the device will get three more major updates in the future that will enhance the working of the device.
