Samsung fixes Galaxy phone vulnerability

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SEOUL, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Samsung says Galaxy S3 smartphone owners can download a fix for a vulnerability that could allow someone to remotely delete all personal data from the phone.

Security researcher Ravi Borgaonkar discovered the flaw that could allow malicious hackers to trigger a factory "reset" and wipe all data, contacts, apps and other information from the smartphone with the phone user powerless to stop it, CNET reported.

A simple code to trigger the reset could be embedded in Web links or even in a text message, Borgaonkar said.

Samsung said Wednesday Galaxy S3 users could install an over-the-air security update that fixes the vulnerability.

The South Korean firm didn't detail how it addressed the flaw but reassured users the vulnerability "has already been resolved."

Borgaonkar said the vulnerability lies in the way Samsung's TouchWiz user interface handles service data codes that are allowed to execute commands on the device's keypad.

Most smartphone software dialers require users to hit the "send" button to complete such a command, he said, but Samsung's software does not.