There's an urgent Android security warning, and anyone with one of these phones in their pocket would be wise not to ignore it. The alert has been raised after researchers discovered a serious flaw that could allow cyber criminals to bypass a phone’s lock screen. What makes this more worrying is the speed at which the attack can take place, with crooks able to crack things in under a minute. The issue, identified by the Donjon security team, could expose personal data and give access to everything stored on devices if exploited.

In tests, researchers showed how the attack works. By connecting a vulnerable phone to a laptop via USB, they were able to retrieve the device’s PIN, decrypt its storage, and access sensitive files - including information from software wallets - all in less than 60 seconds.

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-20435, affects certain Android devices powered by MediaTek processors. These chips are widely used - especially in more affordable smartphones - meaning a significant number of devices could be at risk.

According to security experts, the flaw allows attackers to extract encryption keys before the system fully boots, effectively bypassing protections like full-disk encryption and lock screen security.

"A vulnerability in Android devices can allow attackers to gain access to a phone in less than a minute," the security experts at Malwarebytes explained.

"The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-20435, affects certain MediaTek SoCs (System-on-a-Chip) using Trustonic’s TEE (Trusted Execution Environment). That may sound rare, but reportedly, that’s about one in four Android phones, mostly cheaper models.

"Researchers demonstrated the vulnerability by connecting a vulnerable phone to a laptop over USB, showing how their exploit recovered the handset PIN, decrypted storage, and extracted seed phrases from several software wallets."

So what should you do if you are concerned about this attack?

To reduce risk, users should check which processor their phone uses by going to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) and looking for the processor or model information. If the device runs on a MediaTek chip, it’s important to install any available security updates as soon as possible.

A fix has already been released by MediaTek, but it must be distributed by individual device manufacturers through software updates. Keeping your phone fully up to date is the best protection.

It’s also important to note that this attack requires physical access to the device. As long as your phone remains in your possession and is updated regularly, the risk is much lower.

However, older devices that no longer receive updates may remain vulnerable, so users with ageing phones should take extra care or consider upgrading.