29 April 2013, 11:37

Viber releases update for screen lock flaw - but not on Google Play

Viber logo

Viber, the messaging and voice over IP company, has released an update to the Viber application on Android, version 2.7. The company says that the update fixes the the problem disclosed last week where the Viber app's handling of replying to messages without unlocking the smartphone could be used to give an attacker full access to a locked phone. Many users will not see the update, though.

A page which advised users what to do to mitigate the problem has been removed from the Viber support site and a new page which directs users to an direct download for Viber 2.3.7. Unfortunately, this out-of-band update will not be visible to users who downloaded the Viber app through Google Play. The page there still offers the un-fixed version 2.3.6.338, and it appears there are no plans to update it or to add a note to the page about the issue. It is rumoured that version 3.0 of the Viber app is due soon which may be a hint as to why the company hasn't updated the Google Play app. But in the meantime, many Viber users will be unaware that a bug in the software can allow someone to unlock their phone.