Android problems: Google addresses another sore spot in their Android OS

Facebook courtesy of Android

Google has addressed yet another bug threatening the security of Android device owners.

The bug in question could be particularly problematic, considering how it is capable enabling attackers to freely spy on the activity of Android device owners.

This is not the first time the Android operating system (OS) has been exposed to malicious attacks due to problems with its security.

Google already had to deal with Stagefright, the then widespread vulnerability that was also threatening the security of numerous Android devices, according to The Guardian. Google already addressed the initial bug earlier in the month, but it seems as though the company was not able to patch up all the holes that were present.

The company itself admitted last week that the fix they provided for the first bug did not patch up all of Android's problems. 

This time around, the malicious security bug operates slightly different from the one Google has already dealt with.

Instead of malicious attackers being able to successfully infect other Android devices by simply sending media files, this time around, those same attackers would need to get people to install an app.

If an attacker does succeed with getting the app installed, they can then proceed to run their code, and from there they can tap into all kinds of private files such as images and videos, according to Trend Micro's Wish Wu.

Adding to the threatening nature of the latest bug, it is also capable of infecting a wide array of Android devices just like the first one, according to ZD Net. All Android devices that are currently running a version of the operating system all the way from its 2.3 incarnation up to the 5.1.1 version are said to be vulnerable to an attack.

The newest bug will be fixed through an upcoming Android update in September.