Updated March 16: Following the confirmation of a critical security vulnerability, CVE-2025-20435, that put as many as 1 in 4 Android smartphones at risk of being hacked, when locked and before the operating system has even loaded, in under 60 seconds, this article includes more details of the vulnerability and it's exploit, the devices that are impacted, and the mitigation steps required to protect yourself from becoming a victim, however unlikely that might seem.

Updated March 15: Following the public disclosure of a staggering security vulnerability, CVE-2025-20435, that put as many as 1 in 4 Android smartphones at risk of being hacked, when locked and before the operating system has loaded, even whren powered-down, in under 60 seconds, this article includes more details of the devices that are impacted and the mitigation steps required.