San Francisco, Feb 10: Google is reportedly being slammed by security experts following the disclosure of a vulnerability that has exposed Android to the risk of being compromised by infected images. Revealed in Google's February security update, the flaw leaves Android systems compromised with a modified Portable Network Graphics (PNG) that could trick users into viewing an infected image, Android Headlines reported on Saturday. Apple, Google Slammed for Supporting 'Gender Apartheid' and Misogyny by Hosting Saudi Woman-Tracking App 'Absher'

PNG is a raster-graphics file-format that supports lossless data compression. The security flaw affects devices running Android 7.0 Nougat and newer versions of the software. According to experts, the root cause of this alarming vulnerability has been a light approach to media content on Google's part.

The new firmware is currently only available on the Pixel handsets and a small number of Android One devices that run a stock version of the operating system (OS), the report informed. However, Google's February security update addresses the issue, but the global rollout of the security patch is expected to take more time.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 10, 2019 01:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).