Hackers Steal Samsung Galaxy Source Code

Samsung announced on Monday, March 7, that hackers successfully stole source code for the company’s Galaxy smartphones. This type of attack isn’t something we hear about daily, so it’s an important red flag in cybersecurity news.

The hacker group responsible, known as Lapsus$, allegedly uploaded the stolen files—a 190GB file—to Telegram. The group claims the download features “algorithms for biometric login authentication and bootloader,” meaning those with access to the code could potentially use it to get around operating system controls.

Samsung has since commented on the attack:

There was a security breach relating to certain internal company data … According to our initial analysis, the breach involves some source code relating to the operation of Galaxy devices but does not include the personal information of our consumers or employees.

Samsung, via Bloomberg

While the breach might not include user information, the stolen code still poses a potential security risk. The group is known for extorting companies in the past, as well, demanding Nvidia turn their proprietary GPU’s open source, and certain crypto mining limitations were removed.