Looking for love while out and about, watch out for apps that have been supplied by the dating sites Grindr and Blendr as they have no sound security measures in place. This slack policy could jeopardise the security of personal information.
Last Friday the Australian newspaper, the Sydney Morning Herald, revealed that there are significant security breaches in both Grindr and Blendr applications as these dating venues have already been taken advantage of by no less than a single hacker.
The newspaper states that a large amount of personal data passing via the app often includes nude photographs.
By manipulating Grindr’s connection to online social networking sites the hacker discovered a method to log into Grindr as another person and then impersonate the member. It seems that nobody is secure.
These weaknesses are also found in Blendr, the non gay side of the application, revealed an expert in security who said neither of the apps have any foolproof security and are not well designed.
The Grindr initiator and Chief Executive Officer said that customers’ security and the security of the dating website is an essential priority. He said that an investigation meant they had to take legal action to prevent a particular site accessing Grindr that did not adhere to its terms of service. This particular site had an impact on a tiny number of mostly Australian Grindr customers.
The CEO said that continuous improvements are made to the site to enhance security throughout their networks. This is now going to involve the release of a compulsory update to its applications over the next week with the aim of improving security. Once the update becomes available, members will be informed using the website’s messaging service and on Twitter. An assurance is made by Grindr that it does not keep chat archives, credit card data, or any addresses.
The fact that chats, addresses and financial information were not compromised might induce a sigh of relief, but for those users of either of the apps the notion that you might be flirting to a surfing hacker is bad enough in itself.
