Online Meetups – Enter at Your Own Risk
By TOI Staff
October 25, 2023
Update on : October 25, 2023
There is no lack of places online to meet others, for a host of reasons. Maybe a person wants to find new friends on social media, and so they “up” their friend requests of those “people you may know” hints; they accept requests from others they don’t know.
They further “up the game” by joining chat rooms. And if they are interested in a romantic relationship, they register with an online dating app – there are literally hundreds of them, both all-encompassing or specific based upon a person’s interests or gender identity. For example, someone might be looking for the best ts dating app and will therefore search based on those specifics. And they’ll be presented with plenty.
In all of this, how much do they think about their cyber-security?
Individuals Have Some Responsibilities
People would have to be living under a rock not to have heard the warnings about digital behaviors and protecting one’s identity and personal information/data.
We don’t make purchases and give out credit card information unless we are certain the retailer is legitimate.
We don’t give our personal information (name, address, phone number) and certainly not our birthdate or social security number – these things can be captured in cyberspace quite easily.
And once an identity is stolen, the repercussions are disastrous.
What About the Sites Visited and the Apps Joined?
This is a mixed bag.
Chat Rooms
Most chat rooms will not require anyone to register with personal information. As a result, most are infamous for having trolls, “catfishers,” and other people whose goals are not to chat and make connections but to propagate scams and “talk” users out of their personal /financial information. Users of chat rooms enter at their own risk and should know this upfront.
Dating Apps
Unlike chat rooms, dating apps do require registration and the delivery of personal information. If a user should make any type of purchase, such as a premium subscription or a digital “gift” to another user, moreover, then financial information is also surrendered. Users of dating apps are literally consumers of a retail organization.
Reputable dating apps have become increasingly concerned with security in recent years. They have adopted many of the measures that major retailers have, as well as security measures specific to their industry.
- SSL protocols
- Encryption of personal and financial information
- Two-step account verification for check-in – some have even adopted fingerprint and facial/voice recognition protocols
- Identity verification of new registrants
- Published safety reminders for users
If a user makes choices to share private information with other users, the potential consequences are on them.
But if user data is breached through “holes” in the security protocols, then that is on the company.
Are There Breaches on Dating Apps?
Absolutely, yes there are. As hacking becomes more sophisticated, it becomes almost a daily challenge for IT departments to seek and flag suspicious behavior on their apps. And let’s face it. If it can happen to Target, to government agencies and departments, and, most recently, to Las Vegas casinos, it can certainly happen to a far less significant entity like a dating app. And here are things to keep in mind.
Hackers Look for Easy Ones First
Why would they even be interested in the “small guys” when the “big guys” have so much more data to steal or ransom? Because they are the lowest-hanging fruit and some of them aren’t so small, with millions of registered users whose identities can be stolen once a system is breached.
What Makes Dating Apps Easy?
As the “big guys” have discovered, it is usually a matter of employee or contractor carelessness. They use their work computers for personal matters get hacked, and then the door is opened. In the case of Target, for example, it was a contractor who had access to their system. The recent casino breaches are still being investigated, but chances are they will discover it was someone who has contracts with both of them.
The second thing that makes dating apps easy targets is that users message each other, and many of them also have a social media function. What’s more, users can link their own social media accounts. With all of this chatting and posting within the app system, hackers only have to patiently wait for their opportunities.
What Motivates Hackers to Breach Dating Apps?
It’s not for ransom. While dating apps have become highly popular, the better “pickings” are with the large organizations that can pay millions for sensitive information. But there is a large and profitable business in the sale of identities to others via the dark web. The losses can be big. 2021 estimates are that companies lost about $52 billion, and individual consumers lost $5.8 billion.
What the Future Looks Like
Dating apps will have to incorporate more of what larger organizations are using. They are already using AI and machine learning to match people. These need to be expanded to identify and predict potential security threats. Biometrics will also continue to play a big part in verifying identity. And when app owners believe they do not have the technology to meet security challenges, moving to the Cloud may be the best prevention.
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