Warning for Samsung Galaxy Users: Spyware ‘Landfall’ Found Stealing Data for Nearly a Year

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Cybersecurity researchers from Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 have discovered a dangerous Android spyware called Landfall, which has been targeting Samsung Galaxy devices for nearly a year, stealing sensitive user data without detection.

The spyware spread through a malicious DNG image sent via messaging apps like WhatsApp, exploiting a zero-day vulnerability — unknown to Samsung at the time — to take full control of the infected device.

Once activated, Landfall could access photos, messages, contacts, call logs, location data, and even the microphone. According to the report, the first signs of the campaign appeared in July 2024, but Samsung only patched the flaw (CVE-2025-21042) in April 2025, leaving users exposed for months.

The vulnerability resided in ‘libimagecodec.quram.so’, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code without user interaction. The main affected models include the Galaxy S22, S23, S24, and some Galaxy Z devices running Android 13 to 15.

Researchers believe the campaign was a targeted espionage operation, primarily affecting users in the Middle East, and possibly linked to private-sector offensive actors (AOSP).

It remains unclear who developed Landfall or how many users were affected, but senior researcher Itay Cohen described it as a “precision attack” rather than a widespread infection.

Samsung has released a security patch, and experts strongly advise all Galaxy users to update their devices immediately to stay protected.

A Decade After the Paris Agreement, the World Is Still Off Track on Climate Goals

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Ten years after the Paris Agreement united world leaders around a shared goal of curbing global warming, the planet remains on a dangerous path — warming faster than efforts to cut carbon emissions can keep up.

When the accord was signed in 2015, nations pledged to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Since then, the world has made progress — projections of future warming have dropped by about 1°C — yet the pace of climate action still trails far behind the intensifying damage from rising heat.

The planet’s temperature has climbed 0.46°C in the past decade, one of the steepest increases on record, according to Copernicus climate data. Each year since 2015 has been hotter than the year of the agreement. From deadly heat waves in India, Europe, and North America to wildfires in Hawaii and floods in Pakistan and China, the signs of accelerating climate disruption are everywhere.

Since 2015, the world has lost more than 7 trillion tons of ice from glaciers and polar sheets, while sea levels have risen 40 millimeters (1.6 inches) — enough to fill 30 Lake Eries. Even the Amazon rainforest, once a key carbon sink, has begun emitting more greenhouse gases than it absorbs due to deforestation.

Still, there are reasons for cautious optimism. Renewable energy now dominates new electricity capacity, accounting for 74% of growth in global power generation last year, and electric vehicle sales have surged from 500,000 in 2015 to 17 million in 2024.

However, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, with methane levels up 5.2% and carbon dioxide up 5.8% since 2015, driven largely by developing economies. According to the Global Carbon Project, China’s emissions have grown 15.5% and India’s 26.7%, while those of the U.S. and EU have declined by about 7%.

As delegates gather this week in Belem, Brazil, for COP30, scientists and diplomats agree that while the Paris Agreement laid the right foundation, the world has failed to stay on course.

“The Paris Agreement has underperformed,” said Joanna Depledge of the University of Cambridge. “You can’t say it’s failed — but you can’t say it’s succeeded either.”

China Grants Export Exemptions on Nexperia Chips to Ease Global Supply Strain

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China’s Commerce Ministry announced on Sunday that it has granted exemptions to export restrictions on Nexperia-manufactured chips intended for civilian use, a move expected to ease supply shortages that have disrupted the global automotive industry.

The decision marks Beijing’s most significant step yet toward de-escalating the standoff with the Netherlands over control of Nexperia, a Dutch-based chipmaker owned by China’s Wingtech Technology. The export curbs, imposed after the Dutch government seized control of Nexperia on September 30, had caused widespread shortages of chips essential for carmakers and suppliers worldwide.

China did not specify what qualifies as “civilian use,” but the announcement follows reports from German and Japanese automakers that deliveries of Nexperia’s Chinese-made chips have resumed.

The dispute began when the Dutch government accused Wingtech of planning to relocate Nexperia’s European production to China, citing risks to Europe’s economic security. In response, Beijing halted exports of Nexperia’s packaged chips, most of which are produced in China.

Following an October 30 meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing said it would begin reviewing applications for export exemptions — a process that appears to have now taken effect.

Despite this thaw, analysts warn that China-EU relations remain strained, and tensions will persist until the ownership and operational control of Nexperia are fully resolved.

“China welcomes the EU to continue leveraging its influence to urge the Netherlands to promptly rectify its erroneous actions,” the Commerce Ministry said, calling for an end to the Dutch intervention.