Samsung Galaxy S3 On Android 4.1.2 Encounters Bug: Hackers Can Bypass Lock Screen Easily To Have Full Access To Phone

The emergency call feature caused a lot headache to Apple after it was discovered that the lock screen in iOS 6.1 can be completely bypassed using the feature. Now it appears that after iOS, it’s the rival platform Android that turns out to be the latest victim of the notorious bug.

On the heels of reports stating that the lock screen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, running on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, can be bypassed by unauthorized users, albeit briefly, a user named Sean McMillan has discovered that the Samsung Galaxy S3 on Android 4.1.2 has also been affected by the same glitch.

McMillan has claimed in a post on Full Disclosure that the lock screen of the Samsung Galaxy S3 can be bypassed to have full access to the phone’s features. Unlike the case with the Galaxy Note 2, the unauthorized bypass of the Galaxy S3’s lock screen is quite easier and repeatable.

According to McMillan, he has tested the method of bypassing the lock screen on three different Galaxy S3 units. Similar to the issue with the Apple iPhone on iOS 6.1, the particular bug in question is also related to the emergency call feature.

If you want to verify if your Galaxy S3 is also affected, try out the following steps, provided by McMillan:

- On the code entry screen, press Emergency Call

- Press Emergency Contacts

- Press the Home button once

- Just after pressing the Home button, press the power button quickly

- If successful, pressing the power button again will bring you to the S3's home screen

McMillan says that it might take quite a few attempts to get this working. He also states that the method also seems to work better when the device has auto rotation turned on.

Technology new website ZDNet has also tested the method and has confirmed “the complete bypass on an S3 running Android 4.1.2, although the timing to replicate the issue is very small and difficult to replicate at first.”

The site has reported that after the bypass is achieved, “the bug appears to persist, even when the phone's screen is turned back off, no longer challenging the user for their PIN, password, or pattern.”

Samsung is yet to make any official comment on the issue. At a time when the release of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is only a week away, it will be interesting to see how Samsung reacts to the situation.

Meanwhile, the Verizon variant of the Samsung Galaxy S3 has also started receiving the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware update from Tuesday. If you are an owner of the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3, running on the latest firmware, let us know in the comment section below whether your device is also affected by the bug.