Hardware-level vulnerability in a widely used smartphone chip leaves private keys at risk, with no possible software fix
A major hardware flaw in a popular smartphone chip — including the one used in the Solana Seeker — could allow attackers to gain total control of affected devices and extract private keys, according to new research from Ledger. The discovery raises serious security concerns for users who rely on smartphones for crypto storage.
Ledger Finds ‘Full and Absolute Control’ Vulnerability
In a detailed security report, Ledger’s engineers revealed that they successfully compromised the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 (MT6878) chip using electromagnetic fault injections during the phone’s boot process. The researchers said they were able to bypass every security layer, allowing “full and absolute control” over the device.
The attack targeted the point at which the chip initializes, enabling the extraction of sensitive data such as crypto wallet private keys stored on the phone. Ledger’s team stressed that “there is simply no way to safely store and use one’s private keys on those devices,” underlining the severity of the issue.
Because the vulnerability is embedded directly into the chip’s silicon, Ledger confirmed that no software update, patch, or external fix can remove the risk. The engineers noted that while each attack has a success rate of just 0.1% to 1%, the method can be repeated once per second, making eventual compromise “a matter of a few minutes.”
MediaTek acknowledged the issue but emphasized that electromagnetic fault injections fall “out of scope” for the MT6878 chip, which it says was designed for mainstream consumer products, not high-security financial use cases.
The company stated that devices requiring hardened protection — such as hardware crypto wallets — must be built with dedicated EMFI countermeasures, something the MT6878 does not include.
Ledger disclosed the vulnerability to MediaTek in May, triggering notifications to all impacted device manufacturers. For users who rely on smartphones as crypto storage solutions, experts now warn that the safest approach is to shift private keys to hardware wallets designed to withstand physical and electromagnetic attacks.
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.