Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Hackers nabbed Galaxy source code, Samsung confirms

By Trevor Mogg March 7, 2022

Samsung has confirmed it recently suffered a security breach that saw hackers nab important company data.

The data included source code linked to the operation of Samsung’s popular Galaxy phones and tablets, the company confirmed to Bloomberg on Monday, March 7, adding that no customer data was stolen in the incident.

“There was a security breach relating to certain internal company data,” Samsung said in a statement. “According to our initial analysis, the breach involves some source code relating to the operation of Galaxy devices.”

Samsung said that the hack did not affect “the personal information of our consumers or employees,” and that it “does not anticipate any impact to our business or customers.”

It added that it has already put in place measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

The company made no mention of the suspected perpetrator, though South American hacking group LAPSUS$ claimed responsibility several days ago before Samsung released its statement.

The group, which hit the headlines earlier this month after it hacked chip giant Nvidia, posted online a 190GB torrent file that’s reported to contain confidential source code linked to biometric authentication and encryption for Samsung’s Galaxy devices, along with bootloader source code, also for Galaxy devices.

When Nvidia reportedly failed to meet various demands laid out by LAPSUS$, the hackers posted confidential NVIDIA data online, including employee credentials and proprietary information. It’s not clear if the appearance online of Samsung data is because the Korean company also failed to comply with the hackers’ demands. Digital Trends has reached out to Samsung for more information and we will update this article when we hear back.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Mobile

I thought I’d hate the Galaxy Z Flip 5 — until I changed one thing

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 with its cover screen on.

It's been a little under a month since I got my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, and throughout most of that time, I've thoroughly enjoyed every second with it. I was already quite fond of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 last year, and the Flip 5 addresses my main complaint of its predecessor: the cover screen.

The 1.9-inch cover screen on the Flip 4 was fine for viewing notifications or paying with Samsung Pay ... but that was about it. If I wanted to interact with the phone in any meaningful way, I always had to open it up. But with the 3.4-inch cover screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, that hasn't been the case this year. I'm able to do so much more with the cover screen than ever before, and it's greatly enhanced the practicality of having a flip phone.

Mobile

I spent 3 days with the Galaxy Z Fold 5. It’s not what I expected

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 half folded on a showcase.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks like an incremental update on paper. It’s got the same camera hardware, the same form factor with a narrow cover screen, and the same battery capacity as its predecessor. Much like most of you, I thought it to be a minor upgrade over the Fold 4 when it was unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked event last month. But it’s not.

While the differences over the Galaxy Z Fold 4 can’t be seen in photos of the two phones side by side, they can be experienced. I’m calling the Galaxy Z Fold 5 an experiential upgrade because most of the upgrades can only be felt once you hold the device in your hand or use it for a couple of days. And once you do that, you quickly realize how much better it really is.
The thinner, lighter design is a game changer
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 (left) and Galaxy Z Fold 5 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Mobile

New Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 features are heading to older devices

Samsung One UI 5.1.1 updates for older Galaxy Tab, Z Flip 4, and Galaxy Watch 5 devices.

Samsung recently released a slate of new products with great new features, including the new Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, the Galaxy Tab S9 tablet lineup, and the Galaxy Watch 6 series. While these are the latest and greatest, Samsung has just announced that some new One UI features introduced with these devices are heading to older models through a software update.

The One UI 5.1.1 update will be coming to owners of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 devices this month. People who have the Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3, Z Fold 2, Z Flip 2, and original Z Flip will get the update sequentially.