If you have an Android smartphone in your pocket, then you must check that it is updated with the latest software as soon as possible. This is the latest “severe” alert from Google, which says a number of bugs have been spotted that could put devices at risk of attack by cyber crooks.

A total of 51 vulnerabilities were fixed in the latest November update, making it a major release from Google. The flaws are nothing new, but what makes this alert more frightening is that two of the flaws have received the dreaded “zero-day” rating.

For those unfamiliar with the latest tech jargon, zero-day means that the bug has already been discovered and is actively being exploited in the wild. That’s why it’s so important to keep an eye on the latest Android software patches and install them without delay.

“The Android Security Bulletin contains details about security vulnerabilities affecting Android devices. Security patch levels from 2024-11-05 or later address all of these issues,” Google explained in an update.

It is believed that those affected by the problems could become victims of nasty spyware attacks, where hackers track what they do on their devices. There’s also the possibility of something called “remote code execution,” where crooks can install things on devices without needing physical access.

“The most serious of these issues is a high security vulnerability in the system component that could lead to remote code execution without the need for additional execution privileges,” Google said.

This patch has been released now, so it’s a good idea to check your setting. However, it could take a few days before each phone manufacturer, such as Samsung, releases its own set of bug fixes, so be patient.

How to update your device

• Open your device’s Settings app.

• Tap System and then Software Update.

• You will find the update status. Follow the steps on the screen.

News of this update comes as Android users have also been put on red alert due to a new ‘FakeCall’ bug. This vicious malware was actually first spotted in 2022, but now it has seen a shock re-emergence and is more troublesome than ever.

Once installed, the latest version of FakeCall can set up phone call forwarding, exposing users to scammers when they think they are simply calling their bank.

Zimperium has confirmed that it works by taking over Android’s call handling setting, which then allows cyber crooks to manipulate both incoming and outgoing calls.