Cyberattacks can affect our devices and our daily lives in many different ways. In the case of mobile phones, we can suffer threats that compromise passwords, personal data, or take control of the device. In this article, we report on how Android has launched a new feature that will improve security to prevent attacks using the phone’s USB port.
This is Android 16, the major release of this operating system for 2025. As usual, it brings interesting improvements, including security-related aspects. In this case, it’s an improvement that will allow for maximum protection for devices and reduce risks when using USB.
Android improves security when using USB
Among the new features coming with the new version of Android is the feature known as Advanced Protection, which includes protection against USB attacks. USB connections will be blocked when the device is locked, and this protection is active. Therefore, potential threats using this method will not work.
It’s important to keep in mind that there are USB devices, such as keyboards or flash drives, that cybercriminals could use to launch attacks. Connecting such a device to an Android device could trigger a security issue that could lead to a wide variety of flaws.
Therefore, as long as the Android device is locked and not booted via PIN or any other method, the USB port will not be active. Attacks of this type that could affect its proper functioning and compromise user privacy will not be possible.
Optional function
This new feature will be optional. This means that users will have to enable it for it to be available. What’s unclear is whether users will be able to turn specific Advanced Protection features on and off, or whether it will be a comprehensive security feature.
What’s clear is that Android has taken a further step to improve security and avoid problems that could compromise users. It’s important to always have the latest versions so you can access these types of changes and avoid problems maintaining proper protection of passwords and personal data.
Beyond keeping everything up to date, we also recommend properly configuring your devices. When faced with options like this, where you’ll be able to configure certain applications or include improvements, it’s key to know how to use them and have them enabled to increase that protection.
Additionally, having a good antivirus will also be a great help. This will prevent problems that affect your daily life and allow an attacker to sneak in malware. There are many options, both free and paid, but we recommend always doing your research.
In short, Android takes a further step to improve security and adds protection against USB attacks. You can configure this to improve the protection of your devices, so you don’t have any problems.
