A couple of days ago, we reported that Samsung had started pushing out a minor OTA update for the Galaxy S3. It is now confirmed that the XXELLA update was intended to fix the pesky Exynos 4 exploit that had been found to affect devices using the Exynos 4210 and 4412 chips – read the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Galaxy Note, Note 2 and the Galaxy S2.
For those who came in late, the Exynos vulnerability was widely reported as a loophole which allowed any app to gain access to the file system and could be used for mischievous activities, including inviting malware attacks. Well. it looks like Samsung decided not to waste time and have released it for 2012’s best-selling device first.
And unsurprisingly so, given the millions of Galaxy S3 users that exist across the globe. US users though, may have less to worry about with this particular exploit, as the US versions of the Galaxy S3 swapped the Exynos chip with a Qualcomm dual-core so that LTE could be added.
There is also some speculation, from Sammobile which we all know as the unofficial authority when it comes to any kind of information regarding Samsung, that this update may also include a fix to the recently discovered Sudden Death issue that is plaguing Galaxy S3’s at random. Sammobile thinks this may be likely as this new firmware also comes with updated bootloader files. However, this is yet to be confirmed by Samsung.
The update is currently being rolled out only in the UK, and can be download OTA or via KIES. Other regions are expected to get it soon enough, knowing Samsung’s highly effective update mechanism.
Here are some screenshots from devices updated to the latest I9300XXELLA Android 4.1.2 firmware:
New bootloader files which may indicate that the Sudden Death issue might also have been addressed. Pending confirmation from Samsung though.
If you are located in the UK, you should have already received the OTA notification, if not, you can go to Settings –> About Phone –> System Updates –> Check for Updates and update your device with the latest XXELLA firmware manually.
Via Sammobile
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