HTC Comes Clean On Its Massive Security Hole

Over the weekend it was revealed that some extremely popular HTC Android phones (including the EVO 3D and Sensation) have a gaping security hole which would allow third-party apps access to all of your info. Oops?

Now HTC has come out with an official statement, acknowledging the problem:

HTC takes claims related to the security of our products very seriously. In our ongoing investigation into this recent claim, we have concluded that while this HTC software itself does no harm to customers’ data, there is a vulnerability that could potentially be exploited by a malicious third-party application. A third party malware app exploiting this or any other vulnerability would potentially be acting in violation of civil and criminal laws. So far, we have not learned of any customers being affected in this way and would like to prevent it by making sure all customers are aware of this potential vulnerability.

HTC is working very diligently to quickly release a security update that will resolve the issue on affected devices. Following a short testing period by our carrier partners, the patch will be sent over-the-air to customers, who will be notified to download and install it. We urge all users to install the update promptly. During this time, as always, we strongly urge customers to use caution when downloading, using, installing and updating applications from untrusted sources.

So, there you have it. It’s good to hear that no one has exploited this yet, but be very careful about what you’re downloading and always read ratings and reviews before you do. Sometimes similarly named apps get into the Android Market. If you’re downloading what’s supposed to be a popular app, and you see that it’s only got 20 downloads, you might wanna reconsider. [BGR]