Android owners urged to update their smartphones immediately as expert discovers dangerous flaw

Android users are being warned to update their smartphones immediately after a cybersecurity expert discovered a dangerous security glitch in just a few basic steps.

Bug hunter David Schütz claims to have discovered how to bypass the lock screen on his Google Pixel devices by accident.

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He says the battery on his Google Pixel 6 had almost completely run out after a long day of travelling when he discovered the simple steps to gain access to the device.

If someone had your phone, their first step to access the device would be to deliberately input three incorrect fingerprint scans, temporarily disabling the biometric features.

A potential hacker could then remove the SIM card from your phone, and replace it with their own.

Finally, they could enter three incorrect PIN attempts before being prompted to provide a PUK (Personal Unblocking Key) code for the SIM - which, at this point, is now their SIM card. They would then enter the PUK and then they’ll be able to reset the PIN.

“This was disturbingly weird,” Schütz said.

“My hands started to shake at this point.”

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