Every once in a while, something comes across my screen that makes me pause mid-coffee. This week it was Google’s latest Android security bulletin. Tucked inside the notes:
107 bugs and vulnerabilities fixed in a single update.
Some of these flaws were serious enough to let an attacker take control of a device without the user doing anything. Others allowed data exposure, privilege escalation, or breaking out of normal app protections. This is an unusually large and critical patch cycle this month
And in business today, if a vulnerability exists on the phone, it exists on every work email, client message, and company login stored on that phone.
What exactly did Google fix?
A little bit of everything, unfortunately:
- Critical flaws in the Android system and framework
- Remote-code-execution bugs that could take over a device silently
- Chipset-level issues affecting MediaTek, Qualcomm, and other vendors
- Access-control flaws that let attackers move from “guest” to “admin”
- Information leaks that could expose sensitive company data
These aren’t obscure problems. They’re the kind that get exploited in the real world.
The tricky part: Not everyone gets the update at the same time
This is the piece many business owners overlook.
On iPhone, Apple pushes updates to everyone at once.
On Android, Google releases the patch… but each phone manufacturer (Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola, OnePlus, etc.) and each carrier (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) rolls it out on their own schedule.
So two employees can be carrying the same model phone — and one is fully patched while the other is weeks behind.
What update should people look for?
You want to confirm the device says it has the Android Security Patch Level: December 2025 (or newer).
On most phones:
Settings → Security & Privacy → Updates → Security Update
If it shows a patch level older than December 2025, that device is still vulnerable to the issues Google fixed this month.
Why this matters for businesses
Phones walk in and out of your network all day long. They’re holding:
- Company email
- Two-factor authentication codes
- Shared documents
- Stored passwords
- Access to internal systems
One unpatched device can expose all of that — and attackers know it.
I’ve worked with companies who had no idea that half their staff was months behind on mobile security updates. And when something eventually went wrong, it was always the same story: “We didn’t think phones were part of the security perimeter.”
They are now.
What you should do right now
- Confirm the December 2025 Android Security Patch is installed
Anything older means the device still has the vulnerabilities. - Check across your whole team
Don’t assume updates happen automatically — they don’t. - Enable automatic updates
This helps, but delays from carriers can still slow things down. - Put guardrails around mobile security
Managed mobile device policies (MDM/MAM) let us enforce updates, block outdated devices, and keep an eye on compliance.
Today, mobile devices hold as much business data as laptops. This patch is a good reminder that they deserve the same level of protection.
