As numerous dating apps flocking your smart devices every day, the hackers are eyeing these apps as their latest bait. The latest report shows that many popular dating apps lack adequate data security measures. Almost one-third of the people globally are now using online dating apps. The increasing popularity of these apps comes with security glitches too.
The research further found that the criminals can recognize a user’s name/ surname from accounts of social network, which in turn can offer geo-location data. The other glitches found were about token-based authentication for new registrations/ sign-up processes. Once a token is created, generally via Facebook and it then provides general user information, including email address and profile picture. This process though is unsecured for hackers to gain access to the account. Hence, the users should stay alert about their data security since most of the apps are not secured enough to prevent unprecedented attacks.
Apart, the users are putting themselves at risk by sharing confidential information of their personal details including academic and professional details. With the help of these, the criminals can easily access the victims’ real accounts on Facebook or LinkedIn. It also opens possibilities for harassing the users and tracking their whereabouts in reality. Thus, the users should ensure careful monitoring of their privacy, security and data protection while dating online.
The attacks on dating apps in Android devices especially for those which are outdated have disclosed vulnerabilities that enable the hackers to gain root access. It can be utilized to gain access to private information, including dating activities such as messages written and photos viewed. This gives the hackers ample opportunities to interpret these communications, which can possibly contain personal information such as the user’s location, messages, photos, device data etc. By using a suspicious connection, the intruders can even obtain control of a victim’s account.
To prevent your data from theft, it is recommended to follow the below steps:
- Avoid using unsafe public Wi-Fi hotspots
- Always ensure a secure connection by using a VPN.
- Never share your sensitive personal information, such as financial details, professional details, residential numbers etc.
- Install a reliable security solution on your device such as eScan Mobile Security for Android.
