Online dating applications security

Online dating applications security

 · App Security. Feb 13 An estimated million people used a dating app at least monthly in , a % increase from the amount of users in While users may find love, they are also finding heartbreak in the form of leaked personal information and other security and privacy blogger.comted Reading Time: 3 mins At the MWC21 conference, Tatyana Shishkova, senior malware analyst at Kaspersky, presented a report about online dating app security. We discuss the conclusions she drew from studying the privacy and security of the most popular online dating services, and what users should do to keep their data safe  · At the MWC21 conference, Tatyana Shishkova, senior malware analyst at Kaspersky, presented a report about online dating app security. We discuss the conclusions she drew from studying the privacy and security of the most popular online dating services, and what users should do

Learn to Love Online Dating Security

How secure are online dating apps privacy-wise? Dating apps are supposed to be about getting to know other people and having fun, not handing out personal data left, right and center. Unfortunately, when it comes to dating services, there are security and privacy concerns. At the MWC21 conference, Tatyana Shishkova, senior malware analyst at Kaspersky, presented a report about online dating app security.

We discuss the conclusions she drew from studying the privacy and security of the most popular online dating services, and what users should do to keep their data safe. Our experts previously carried out a similar study several years ago.

After researching nine popular services inonline dating applications security, they came to the bleak conclusion that dating apps had major issues regarding the secure transfer of user data, as well as its storage and accessibility to other users. Here are the main threats revealed in the report:. We decided to see how things had changed by The study focused on the nine most popular dating apps: Tinder, OKCupid, Badoo, Bumble, Mamba, Pure, Feeld, Happn and Her, online dating applications security.

The lineup differs slightly from that ofsince the online dating market has changed a bit. That said, the most used apps remain the same as four years ago. Over the past four years, the situation with data transfer between the app and the server has significantly improved. First, online dating applications security, all nine apps we researched this time around use encryption.

Second, all feature a mechanism against certificate- spoofing attacks: on detecting a fake certificate, the apps simply stop transmitting data. Mamba additionally displays a warning that the connection is insecure. However, this is a rather unlikely scenario. Unfortunately, of the nine apps, only one, Pure, lets you create an account online dating applications security a photo i.

Another, Mamba, offers a free photo-blurring option, allowing you to show your pictures only to users you choose. Some of the other apps also offer that feature, but only for a fee. All of the apps in question — aside from Pure — allow users to register through a social network account, most often Facebook. That makes it possible to link a dating app account to a social media one simply by the photos. In addition, many dating apps allow, and even recommend, users to link their profiles to other social networks and online services, such as Instagram and Spotify, so that new photos and favorite music can be automatically added to the profile.

And although there is no surefire way to identify an account in another service, dating app profile information can certainly help in finding someone on other websites. Perhaps the most controversial aspect of dating apps is the need, in most cases, to give your location. Of the nine apps we investigated, four — Tinder, Bumble, Happn and Her — require mandatory geolocation access.

Three let you manually change your precise coordinates online dating applications security the general region, but only in the paid online dating applications security. Happn has no such option, but the paid version allows you to hide the distance between you and other users. Mamba, online dating applications security, Badoo, OkCupid, Pure and Feeld do not require mandatory access to geolocation, and let you manually specify your location even in the free version, online dating applications security.

But they do offer to automatically detect your coordinates. In the case of Mamba especially, we advise against giving it access to geolocation data, since the service can determine your distance to others with a frightening accuracy: one meter.

In general, if a user allows the app to show their proximity, in most services it is not hard to calculate their position by means of triangulation and location-spoofing programs.

Of the four dating apps that require geolocation data to work, only two — Tinder and Bumble — counteract the use of such programs. From a purely technical viewpoint, dating app security has improved significantly in the past four years — all the services we studied now use encryption and resist man-in-the-middle attacks. Most of the apps have bug-bounty programs, which assist in the patching of serious vulnerabilities in their products.

But as far as privacy is concerned, things are not so rosy: the apps have little motivation to protect users from oversharing.

People often post far online dating applications security about themselves than is sensible, forgetting or ignoring the possible consequences: doxingstalking, data leakage and other online woes.

Sure, the problem of oversharing is not limited to dating apps — things are no better with social networks. But due to their specific nature, dating apps often encourage users to share data that they are online dating applications security to post anywhere else. Moreover, online dating services usually have less control over who exactly users share this data with.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign in. Log into your account. your username. your password. Forgot your password? Password recovery. Recover your password, online dating applications security. your email.

Wednesday, July 21, Donate Digital Subscription Sponsored Articles Advertise With Us About Us Contact Us Magazines. Get help. Technology For You. Home Top Stories Online dating and security. Top Stories. Kaspersky Team Dating apps are supposed to be about getting to know other people and having fun, not handing out personal data left, right and center.

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR. Organizations Can Reduce Risk by Implementing a Security Control Framework. Deloitte Global report: Pandemic takes heavy toll on working women. US offers huge reward in fight against state-sponsored cybercriminals. Organizations That Cut Costs Early Were Able to Sustain Revenue Growth. LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply. Please enter your comment! Please enter your name here. You have entered an incorrect email address! Latest Tech Updates. Organizations Can Reduce Risk by Implementing a Security Control Framework July 21, Deloitte Global report: Pandemic takes heavy toll on working women July 20, US offers huge reward in fight against state-sponsored cybercriminals July 19, online dating applications security, Online dating and security July 18, Organizations That Cut Costs Early Were Able to Sustain Revenue Growth July 14, This is one of the Largest Circulated Digital Magazines in India.

Technology For You Online Tech Media Provides Advertisers a strong Digital Platform to reach lakhs of people in India as well as abroad. Contact us: info technologyforyou. Donate Digital Subscription Sponsored Articles Advertise About Contact Magazines Privacy Policy DMCA Terms of Service.

MORE STORIES. Why humanoid robots need motion planning? February 29, New ways of thinking and working are necessary to reap blockchain May 22, The digital divide is only getting worse for those who are April 28,

Online dating and security | Technology For You

 · At the MWC21 conference, Tatyana Shishkova, senior malware analyst at Kaspersky, presented a report about online dating app security. We discuss the conclusions she drew from studying the privacy and security of the most popular online dating services, and what users should do  · App Security. Feb 13 An estimated million people used a dating app at least monthly in , a % increase from the amount of users in While users may find love, they are also finding heartbreak in the form of leaked personal information and other security and privacy blogger.comted Reading Time: 3 mins At the MWC21 conference, Tatyana Shishkova, senior malware analyst at Kaspersky, presented a report about online dating app security. We discuss the conclusions she drew from studying the privacy and security of the most popular online dating services, and what users should do to keep their data safe