Update [September 15, 2017]: It could be that BlueBorne Vulnerability Scanner app from team Armis is giving a false alert here. As per a redditor, the app only checks if the security patch level on an Android phone is below September 1, 2017 to base its result. This is because Google included a patch for BlueBorne vulnerability with the September security patch only. However, Samsung went a step further to deliver a patch quickly for its newly launched device, and provided it on security patch level August 1, 2017 only. And maybe that’s the reason why BlueBorne Vulnerability Scanner is giving a false alert to even those who have updated their devices to the latest firmware.
Update [September 15, 2017]: It seems Verizon’s changelog for the N950USQU1AQI5 update is probably wrong. As per user reports, the BlueBorne vulnerability hasn’t been patched on the Note 8 yet. You can cross-verify this by downloading the BlueBorne Vulnerability Scanner app available on Play Store. This app is developed by team Armis, which is also the team behind discovery of BlueBorne vulnerability on Android devices.
The US variants of Samsung Galaxy Note 8 are receiving an OTA update with stability improvements and bug fixes. The update seems to be rolling out for all major carriers in the States, we have already received confirmation from Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Note 8 users about it. And it won’t be long before it starts rolling out to AT&T users as well.
The software update comes with build number N950USQU1AQI5 and an updated Kernel version 4.4.21 with build date Sep 8. It’s around 198MB in size. Check out the official changelog for it below:
- Improved stability for Navigation app, Google Maps, Weather widget.
- Device stability improvements, bug fixes.
- Performance improvements.
This update first rolled out to Verizon Note 8 variants earlier today, followed by Sprint and T-Mobile. However, Verizon also mentioned a patch for BlueBorne security vulnerability with the N950USQU1AQI5 firmware update. BlueBorne is a security vulnerability on Android devices which lets a hacker gain control over everything on your device, all your files, camera, microphone, etc. just by being in range of your device’ Bluetooth connection.
‘Galaxy Note 8 update and firmware download’
Since the firmware build number for Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon devices are all same (N950USQU1AQI5). We guess the BlueBorne security patch is rolling out to all Galaxy Note 8 variants in the US. If you haven’t received an update notification yet, be sure to check for it manually from your device Settings » Software update » Download updates manually.
The BlueBorne vulnerability is NOT patched in this security update. See https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=73801800&postcount=12, or check it out yourself with Armis’ BlueBorne vulnerability scanner on the Play Store.
Thanks for letting us know. I’ll update the post right away.
I’ve been informed that the indication of vulnerability may be a false positive from Armis’ app. However, I’ve used the app from another device (an S7 Edge) and it reports the updated Note 8 is a “high risk.”
The BlueBorne vulnerability is NOT patched in this security update. See https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=73801800&postcount=12, or check it out yourself with Armis’ BlueBorne vulnerability scanner on the Play Store.
Thanks for letting us know. I’ll update the post right away.
I’ve been informed that the indication of vulnerability may be a false positive from Armis’ app. However, I’ve used the app from another device (an S7 Edge) and it reports the updated Note 8 is a “high risk.”