Hackers can use your Tinder app as a GPS tracker by using high school math, Tech Crunch reports.
Security firm IncludeSec broke down how easy it is to turn the app into an accurate tracking device. Using a trigonometry and a webapp they built, the security company was able to find "the exact location of another tinder user with a very high degree of accuracy (within 100ft from our experiments)," according to their website.
However, IncludeSec added the security vulnerability is not exclusive to the Tinder app, but developers should be handling location data with more sensitivity. According to Tech Crunch, Tinder has corrected the technical issue pointed out by IncludeSec.
"Include Security identified a technical exploit that theoretically could have led to the calculation of a user's last known location," Tinder said in a statement to Tech Crunch. "Shortly after being contacted, Tinder implemented specific measures to enhance location security and further obscure location data. We did not respond to further inquiries about the specific security remedies and enhancements taken as we typically do not share the specifics of Tinder's security measures. We are not aware of anyone else attempting to use this technique. Our users' privacy and security continue to be our highest priority."
Tinder is meant to be an anonymous app for users to connect with others based on their photos. The company aims to bring people together, not make them vulnerable targets.
"Anyone can be a hacker. Anything that an API can be used for, it will be used for. The engineer that implemented that code clearly was under the impression that it was safe," Tech Crunch reports. "Companies big and small obviously do not roll out code that can be maliciously exploited. The company's goal is to make people happy, not sad. App makers have the responsibility to provide its users with a relative amount of security."
You can watch the video below for IncludeSec's break down of the Tinder app's security flaw or read more about it here.
