Researchers at Tel Aviv University have found a “severe” cryptographic design flaws that could leave 100 millions of Samsung phones at risk

The flaw could let hackers steal keys used for secure payments made through the likes of Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

An estimated 100million Samsung Galaxy devices, ranging from the S8 to the S21 phones, are at risk from a “severe” security vulnerability, according to threatpost.com.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University found what they called “severe” cryptographic design flaws that could have let attackers siphon the devices’ hardware-based cryptographic keys: keys that unlock the treasure trove of security-critical data that’s found in smartphones.

The security flaws not only allow cybercriminals to steal cryptographic keys stored on the device: They also let attackers bypass security standards such as FIDO2.

It’s not just a problem with how Samsung implemented encryption, the researchers said. These problems arise from vendors – they called out Samsung and Qualcomm – keeping their cryptography designs close to the vest, the Tel Aviv U. team asserted.