Google patches critical bug on Android Nexus 5X devices

Google's Android security team patched a critical vulnerability in the company's Nexus 5X devices which would have let attackers bypass the lockscreen. An attacker who successfully triggered the vulnerability would be able to obtain data stored on the device via a forced memory dump, according to researchers from the IBM's X-Force team.

An attacker with physical access to the device can easily steal data or perform other malicious activities. The most common recommendation to protect the device in case it falls into malicious hands is to lock the device with a strong passphrase, which requires the attacker to brute-force the lock before being able to do anything.

However, IBM X-Force researchers discovered an "undocumented" vulnerability in LG's Nexus 5X devices which would let attackers obtain the password to unlock the screen, which would have rendered the lockscreen advice worthless.