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October security patch rolling out to Google Pixel, factory images & OTAs live

Following last month’s launch, the first update to Android 11 is rolling out today with the October security patch. It’s available for the Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4a.

With Android 11 last month, Google dropped the latest Pixel Feature Drop. Location Sharing in Google Maps Live View was the highlight, while the company re-touted several features spotted during the Developer Preview/Beta cycle: Smart Replies in Gboard’s suggestions row when using chat apps, app suggestions in Pixel Launcher dock, automatic folder naming, Recents multitasking redesign, new screenshot corner pop-up, and other “Overview Actions.”

There are 20 issues resolved in the October security patch dated 2020-10-01 with two additional Mainline updates and 28 for 2020-10-05. Vulnerabilities range from high to critical, with the most severe relating to the media framework and a remote attacker possibly executing arbitrary code through a crafted file. 

In the Android Security & Privacy 2018 Year in Review, Google notes that “no critical security vulnerabilities affecting the Android platform were publicly disclosed without a security update or mitigation available for Android devices.” Additionally, there was an 84% year-over-year jump in security patches during Q4 2018 compared to the prior year.

The dedicated bulletin for Google devices lists no extra security fixes, but several functional updates.

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com