Google finally fixes the Dirty Pipe vulnerability on the Pixel 6
Originated from Linux, Dirty Pipe is a critical vulnerability that affects devices running the latest Linux kernel versions (5.8 or newer). It allows an attacker to remotely take full control of your Android 12 device by gaining system-level access. Samsung’s Galaxy S22 series and the Google Pixel 6 series are among the very few affected devices. While the former patched the vulnerability with the April security patch, Google left the Pixel 6 duo vulnerable to it. This came as a surprise considering the severity of Dirty Pipe. Thankfully, it wasn’t a much longer wait. The patch is now rolling out just days after the April update went live. That said, this isn’t very clever of Google to patch a critical vulnerability with beta software. It forces Pixel 6 users to enroll in the beta program — and live with buggy and unstable software — should they want the Dirty Pipe vulnerability patched on their device. Otherwise, their Pixel 6 will remain vulnerable at least until May, which is when we expect Google to include the Dirty Pipe patch in the new security update. We hope Google is clever enough to not hold it back until the June Feature Drop stable release, which is what Android 12 QPR3 Beta 2 is beta testing. Google could have also done better by mentioning the fix for the Dirty Pipe vulnerability in the release notes for the Android 12 QPR3 Beta 2. Maybe this would have made more people install the latest beta update on their Pixel 6.
What is Android 12 QPR3 Beta 2?
Google has been releasing quarterly feature updates to its Pixel smartphones for some time now. Called Feature Drops, these updates have been coming too buggy lately. To solve this, the company has now started beta testing Feature Drops. Google is also now referring to these updates as Quarterly Platform Releases (QPR). The June 2022 Feature Drop, which is the third QPR following the Android 12 launch, is now getting its second beta build — Android 12 QPR3 Beta 2. This update will release in the stable channel in June. It could get a few more betas ahead of that. We will keep you posted.
