MOBILE SECURITY BLOG

Do you usually install your airline mobile app when traveling? You may think twice before using it for your next vacation.

Our latest study based on the security testing of global top 50 airline mobile applications shed the light on some alarming data privacy concerns. The audit was performed this week by Pradeo Security, an engine designed to reveal mobile apps’ behaviors (data processing) and vulnerabilities. Among the 50 mobile applications tested, had been included the most used ones globally, mainly from North America, Western Europe and Eastern Asia.

Most online transactions require a two-step authentication, and the One-Time-Password (OTP) sent by SMS is often one of those two steps. The purpose of an OTP is to prevent fraud by confirming that the person making the transaction and the credit card owner are one and the same. To do so, a temporary code is automatically sent by SMS to the phone number associated with the bank account used.

It is common to observe in films or books a society where citizens are constantly spied on. Even though this  vision is exaggerated, these narratives lead us to put into perspective the concept of confidentiality in our era.

System and application updates always seem to pop up at less than timely moments, and most of us postpone them without second thoughts, for days, weeks, months… However, these updates represent an essential piece of systems’ stability and safety, as they include functionality enhancements and patches to security holes.

The proliferation of mobile devices accessing agency networks, including employees’ personal smartphones and tablets, offers a prosperous playground to hackers.