If you own an Android smartphone then you may keep your phone software and apps updated and you should be very careful about the malicious website and applications which can harm your phone and more importantly your valuable data. According to the recent news, some Android phones can be manipulated using the USSD code without the consent of the users. The threat is mostly from the malicious websites which are selling the media contents using the USSD.
These USSD codes could potentially be used to lock the SIM card or cause call diversion or can be also used to buy some media content using your mobile balance. Security experts have warned that on certain Samsung devices USSD codes could even be used to delete all the data on the phone.
Samsung has already released a firmware update to fix the issue on their phones. Another way to close the security gap is to install the free app NoTelURL. The app warns users when a USSD command is encountered and asks whether they want to allow it to execute or not.
