Android Jelly Bean, Kit Kat vulnerable to security flaw

A new flaw was recently found in the Google Android Jelly Bean and Kit Kat OS flavors, with the "critical flaw" compromising the virtual private network (VPN) in the Android OS.

Compromised devices allow cybercriminals to monitor communication after VPN traffic is sent to a different network address.

The flaw, which was found in India, can be successfully remedied by installing updates from OEM manufacturers, the CERT-In team says. Installing anti-virus and anti-malware protection on the device should help add additional layers to prevent Android exploits from causing problems.

"A critical flaw has been reported in Android's (virtual private network) VPN implementation, affecting Android version 4.3 and 4.4 which could allow an attacker to bypass active VPN configuration to redirect secure VPN communications to a third party server or disclose or hijack unencrypted communications," said the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In).