{
  "id": 2203055,
  "title": "Android users beware — if you own one of these budget smartphones, your device could be hacked with a simple video call",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/android-users-beware-if-you-own-one-of-these-budget-smartphones-your",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-20T18:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/android-users-beware-if-you-own-one-of-these-budget-smartphones-your-device-could-be-hacked-with-a-simple-video-call"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Budget smartphones equipped with Unisoc system-on-chip (SoC) devices may be susceptible to a security exploit transmitted through video calls. This vulnerability, discovered by researcher 0x50594d, can provide attackers with root-level access to the infected devices. The exploitation occurs due to improper isolation of shared resources within the modem firmware of four Unisoc SoCs: T612, T616, T606, and T7250. To execute the exploit, the attacker must first gain root access, typically achieved through rooting. Additionally, the testing was conducted on a closed VoLTE network and older Android security patches. While the exploit was demonstrated on three specific models—Realme C33, Xiaomi Redmi A5, and Motorola E13—the vulnerability could potentially affect any device utilizing the aforementioned SoCs. Unisoc has yet to respond to the disclosed security flaw.",
  "summary": "Security researchers uncover exploit on budget smartphones equipped with a Unisoc system-on-chip, initiated by starting a video call and able to grant root access to an attacker",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}