Sony Xperia Z Security Flaw Fixed Ahead of Update

Earlier this week, the Sony Xperia Z joined the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note 2 as the latest high-end smartphone to be afflicted by a lock screen security flaw that allowed potentially dangerous users to access the entirety of the phone. And while Sony may be working on an update, a new temporary fix is now available for those that want to patch things up ahead of the update.

Read: Sony Xperia Z Joins Galaxy Note 2 With Lock Screen Bypass.

The Sony Xperia Z became the latest Android device discovered to have a lock screen security issue, one where the lockscreen could be bypassed with a simple hack. Once bypassed, the device, as a whole, becomes available putting sensitive information and data at risk. Because the flaw is just a few days old, Sony has yet to release a software update to fix it. It’s unclear if a fix is on the way, but those who want to temporarily patch things up should be able to with an app from the Google Play Store.

Bkav Corporation, which makes the Bkav Mobile Security app for Android, has issued an update to its mobile security application that takes care of the Sony Xperia Z’s lock screen issue. The engineers at Bkav say that they have found the issue with the software and that it’s a programming problem within the emergency call app.

That said, its new update will evidently block access through the emergency call function, as can be seen in the video below, and also snap an image of the intruder with the front-facing camera.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Lock Screen ByPass Secured by Lookout Mobile.

Bkav is quick to point out that while this may be a fix, it’s only a temporary one. Sony will more than likely address the situation with a patch of its own in the coming days. However, it’s unclear just when it might roll out a new piece of software.

This workaround is similar to the third party applications that put a stop to the Galaxy Note 2 lock screen issue. While Samsung has yet to roll out a patch for the problem, Lookout Mobile, a third party security developer put out a piece of software that like Bkav’s fix, temporarily fixed the Galaxy Note 2’s lock screen bypass.