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If you own a Samsung phone, you need to download the latest security update available as soon as possible. The newest release comes with a fix for a major vulnerability that can see hackers gain access to your device and remotely install malicious code.
The issue was discovered in August, which is referred to as CVE-2025-21043. Apple fixed the issue on its iPhone and iPad series with iOS 18.6.2, and Samsung phones are now receiving a fix as part of the new security update. The Android maker details the fix in its latest release notes.
The note reads, “Out-of-bounds Write in libimagecodec.quram.so prior to SMR Sep-2025 Release 1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.” In normal speech, that means there’s an issue with a third-party tool used by messaging apps for looking at images.
While it’s unlikely you’d be targeted by this attack, this is a critical vulnerability and you shouldn’t avoid downloading the update. PCMag’s advice is to always keep your phone as up to date as possible, and be careful with the applications you download.
This issue was found by the security team at one of the world’s most used applications: WhatsApp. With over three billion users around the world, this vulnerability may have been useful for hackers to target many people. WhatsApp’s parent company Meta first reported the flaw securely to peers on August 13.
In a statement to Bleeping Computer, a spokesperson for Meta said, “As part of our proactive investigation into a highly targeted exploit over the summer (which resulted in our security advisory for iOS/MacOS WhatsApp users), we shared our findings with our industry peers, including Apple and Samsung.”
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Although Samsung doesn’t refer to other messaging apps in its release notes, it’s unclear if the issue could have been exploited by hackers through other services. We likely won’t know for a while if that’s the case, meaning downloading the security update on your phone is the most important step to take right now.
This issue impacts all Samsung phones running Android 13 or later. It also relates to your iPhone if you’ve yet to download iOS 18.6.2. However, you should also download the incoming iOS 26 update.
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