Samsung says Galaxy S3 Android vulnerability already patched but questions remain

Following yesterday's hoo-hah about the vulnerability in the Galaxy SII and Galaxy SIII handsets that could potentially allow a handset to be remotely wiped without the owner's input, Samsung has been in touch to say that the problem is fixed.

A spokeswoman for the South Korean handset maker told me on Wednesday that the issue is now a non-issue as it has already been patched, but did not say when it was fixed, or which software version is the secure one.

"We would like to assure our customers that the recent security issue concerning the Galaxy SIII
has already been resolved through a software update," the spokeswoman told ZDNet. "We recommend all Galaxy SIII customers to download the latest software update, which can be done quickly and easily via the over-the-air (OTA) service."

While that is likely a reassurance to Galaxy SIII owners, it's likely less reassuring for SII or other Samsung handset owners that don't know whether or not they are at risk. Many reports online suggest the problem is related to the TouchWiz UI rather than just the Galaxy SIII.

I asked Samsung when it first became aware of the problem and when it rolled out the fix in response. I also asked which versions of the Android software were affected, but so far Samsung is keeping mum.

If they let me know, I'll let you know.