Samsung appears to be getting better when it comes to the security patches for Galaxy devices or at least quicker. Samsung released the May 2018 security patch for the Galaxy J2 Pro last week before the company had even announced the patch and what it contained. Clearly, someone pushed the commit button too quickly, but Samsung today has offered the detail to what the May 2018 security patch includes for its smartphones.This particular patch brings several security fixes for both Samsung and Google vulnerabilities. These updates are delivered as part of the ongoing commitment to release regular security patches to keep Android secure. All the patches detailed in Google's Android Security Bulletin – May 2018 package are included in this release.Don't Miss: Is your Samsung Galaxy S9+ dropping calls? You're not alone!In particular, there are fixes for six critical vulnerabilities pertinent to Android as well as multiple high and moderate-risk ones. The patch also addresses seven critical CVE's from a Samsung Experience point of view. Interestingly, some of the issues patched date back from October 2017, including one that refers to accessing the Clipboard content using Edge panel that allows an attacker to access the information with any user authentication. Furthermore, there is a disclaimer at the bottom of the Samsung SMR (Security Maintenance Release) page that caveats "Some SVE items included in the Samsung Android Security Update cannot be disclosed at this time." Read into that what you will.The May 2018 security patch should automatically trickle down to your device in due course as Samsung begins its staged rollout for its smartphone catalog. We typically see the low to mid-range devices updated first, with the flagship Galaxy S9 and Note 8's updated towards the end of the cycle, presumably to allow for more testing.It's great to see Samsung following up on its obligation to ensure its customers are protected by issuing the latest security updates promptly. Now if only they could get us the latest version of Android P in under a year of it being released...
What's my model number?
There are several ways to locate your model number:
- Option 1
- On your device, go to Settings, then "About device" and scroll down to "Model number"
- Option 2
- Often times you can view the model number inside the device, by removing the battery
- Option 3
- Using Samsung's model/serial number location tool