Be careful with mobile dating apps or Cupid’s arrow may prick more than your heart
Finding an ideal match for your love life may turn out to be more expensive than you expected. According to a study carried out by security researchers at tech titan IBM, over 60% of mobile dating apps put users at a potential risk of cyber attacks.
The researchers note that the vulnerability of mobile dating apps is largely related to the fact that these apps are granted access to many features of mobile devices, including the camera, microphone, storage, GPS location and billing details.
Mobile dating apps have become extremely popular in the last few years, with apps like Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid becoming huge successes.
More on security risks of mobile dating apps
According to the IBM security research study, users who have installed mobile dating apps on smartphones or tablets with access to private work data are exposing themselves as well as their employers to a range of malicious cyber attacks.
The study focused on mobile dating apps for Android devices. IBM researchers determined that 26 of the 41 Android dating apps that were a part of the study had a medium- or high-severity vulnerability to cyber attacks. The names of the apps have not been divulged by IBM security researchers, but all the vendors whose products were involved have been notified about the potential vulnerabilities.
Of note, the IBM researchers did not analyze Windows Phone or iOS dating apps in this particular study.
Statement from IBM Security VP
Commenting on the mobile dating apps study in a statement on Thursday, IBM Security VP Caleb Barlow noted: “Many consumers use and trust their mobile phones for a variety of applications. It is this trust that gives hackers the opportunity to exploit vulnerabilities like the ones we found in these dating apps.”
