Billions at Risk: Microsoft Warns of Dangerous ‘Dirty Stream’ Vulnerability Affecting Popular Android Apps

Microsoft has issued a warning regarding a vulnerability that affects several popular Android applications with over 4 billion installations. This vulnerability, known as ‘Dirty Stream’, allows cybercriminals to execute malicious code and steal login tokens from devices. Attackers have full control over an application’s behavior and can result in access to user accounts and sensitive data.

Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence team discovered this vulnerability, which is present in Android apps available on the Google Play Store. Developers of affected applications were notified in February, and since then, they have been working on updates to address the issue. Some of the affected apps include Xiaomi File Manager and WPS Office.

Xiaomi released an updated version of their app, V1-210593, to fix this issue. Similarly, WPS Office addressed its vulnerability in version 17.0.0. The vulnerability arises from the data and file exchange system on Android, allowing applications to share information through a system called content provider. However, improper implementation of this system can introduce vulnerabilities that allow malicious actors to execute arbitrary code and steal tokens, leading to access to sensitive data.

Microsoft is collaborating with Google to create guidelines for Android app developers to prevent this type of vulnerability from occurring in the future. They recommend using tools like Android Lint and GitHub’s CodeQL service to identify and address vulnerabilities before they are released publicly