Google warns millions of Android owners about ‘critical’ hacks – update now

GOOGLE has put out an important Android update to address more than 80 security flaws.

The tech giant says the "most severe" of these issues is a critical problem affecting Bluetooth.

A vulnerability means hackers can remotely load stuff onto your Android smartphone using the feature.

Of the 81 bugs identified, four have been categorised as "critical".

Three of those involve a similar remote code execution flaw, while another risks information being stolen.

A load of the flaws were also rated as "high" risk.

Once an update is made available by your device maker, be sure to install it immediately.

Manufacturers are informed about issues at least a month before they're publicly revealed, so they should have an update ready for you.

"Exploitation for many issues on Android is made more difficult by enhancements in newer versions of the Android platform," Google said.

"We encourage all users to update to the latest version of Android where possible."

Of course, you can only stay up-to-date if your device is still capable of receiving monthly Android security updates.

For that, you'll need to be on Android 9 or later.

Anything older than that no longer gets security updates, leaving you open to a whole array of hacks.

If you can upgrade the software to a newer version of Android, do so.

If you can't, it might be time to buy a new smartphone.

A spokesperson for Google said: "Android helps keep you protected, even when you aren’t using your phone.

"Our tech helps defeat bad apps, malware, phishing and spam.

"We always try to keep one step ahead of threats, for example through regular security updates, and automatically protecting users from harmful apps with Google Play Protect, which scans 125 billion apps a day."

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk