Google's December security update brings KRACK fix and other security fixes

Google posted its December security bulletin for Android earlier today, and if you were hoping for an update full of fixes and tweaks, you might want to look elsewhere.

The most notable aspect regarding the December security patch is its inclusion of the KRACK fix. It is a welcome sight, seeing how it was notably absent from the November security patch and how almost half of all Android devices were vulnerable to the security flaw.

The December update also brings a slew of patches for Qualcomm, NVIDIA, and MediaTek products, but there is no Functional Updates section to be seen. As such, we are not sure if Google included fixes to several Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL issues that have recently come up, such as random reboots, audio playback coming off as tinny and full of static when recording video, and the Pixel 2’s buzzing noise that has been with us from the beginning.

Finally, Google says there will be two patch levels for this month: 12-1 and 12-5, the latter of which will be the level for all Nexus and Pixel builds.

Speaking of which, the firmware images for supported Nexus and Pixel devices will not be available until tomorrow, and OTA updates are usually after the images are posted, so we’ll be sure to update this post with the new builds once they arrive. Also, odds are that Android 8.1 is separate from the December security update, but again, we’ll learn more tomorrow.