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Symantec: Cruz and Kasich Campaign Apps May Expose Sensitive Data (go.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the permission-granted dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Apps released by the campaigns of Republican presidential contenders Ted Cruz and John Kasich have the potential for hackers to access users' personal information. According to an independent analysis by Symantec, the "Cruz Crew" app could allow third parties to capture a phone's unique identifying number and other personal information while the Kasich 2016 app could expose users' location data and information about other apps installed on the phones. First it was Veracode that reported potential vulnerabilities with the apps, now it's Symantec. Apparently the Cruz campaign updated its app to resolve the issues after the Veracode report was released. Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said the security experts didn't know what they were talking about. Both campaigns have yet to respond to the latest Symantec analysis. Neither security firm found any issues in the app released by the campaign of Democrat Bernie Sanders. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton do not have campaign apps.

9 of 32 comments (clear)

  1. Campaign app? by tomhath · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does anyone actually install those things? I can't think of any reason I would want one on my phone.

    1. Re:Campaign app? by Crashmarik · · Score: 3, Informative

      If you are a campaign volunteer they are very useful. I have seen apps used to coordinate events, telephone trees and canvasing.

    2. Re:Campaign app? by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 2

      whatsamatter? email, all of a sudden, stopped working?

      sheesh!

      every app is a security question: and since you almost never get source and even when you do, it may not be the actual source. why install apps that are not truly necessary?

      I never understood the urge to install everything in sight. I guess I'm just old, I guess. that, or I have a reasonable understanding of security. ("why not both?")

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    3. Re:Campaign app? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Insightful

      whatsamatter? email, all of a sudden, stopped working?

      sheesh!

      Email is not a good tool for event management. Messages are not synchronized, and people read and reply out of order. The process starts to fall apart when you go beyond about six people.

    4. Re:Campaign app? by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      Depending on you are in the late 1990 early 2000 old school you believe in the idea of using generic tools to do your work. Which trades off effency of the task on hand with the ability to work with a well maintained system.
      Late 2000s to today we are likening the idea of more custom solutions to our tasks so we can do what we need more effectively and easier. At the expense of having less maintained system.
      Today's app and cloud consept is more akin to the old PC program and mainframe of the mid 1980's. However today we have the ability to make far more reliable apps (due to less system limitations) and servers can scale much easier.

      It isn't about smart vs stupid or old vs new it is about choosing which trade offs you are willing to risk for the reward. And as technology advances these trade offs change.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    5. Re:Campaign app? by sabbede · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Is that what these apps are for? Seems to me you'd want special purpose-built and private apps for campaign volunteers to help with all that, and a separate, mostly useless app for supporters. I'd think the latter would be little more than a frontend for media feeds.

      I wonder if there's a company making a basic, non-partisan, campaign volunteer app that can be used (and branded) for any campaign that signs up. Instead of each campaign writing it's own, write one great one and sell it to everyone. Charge the campaign a per-user fee, so it's affordable for any size campaign, and an extra fee for branding because big campaigns will want it and be able to pay extra.

      Is that how it works now, or has the market not recognized the opportunity?

  2. well that's what they get by supernova87a · · Score: 2, Insightful

    For employing faith-based coding and security practices!

  3. Kasich's Team Response? by Fnord666 · · Score: 2

    Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said the campaign's staff reviewed Veracode's analysis and did not find it credible.

    "Your firm doesn't understand our product," Nichols said. "They don't know what they don't know."

    Asked for details of what the campaign felt was in error, Nichols replied: "I'm not a tech person."

    Seriously? Anyone who has Kasich's app installed should uninstall it immediately.

    --
    'The tyrant will always find pretext for his tyranny.' - Aesop's Fables
  4. Maybe I'm "jaded".... by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 3, Informative

    According to a corrupt and dieing so-called "anti-virus" company that sells a piece of malware to unsuspecting luddites, there COULD be a problem with some political app...

    I would probably agree that such apps are poorly written and may very well be suspect. But Symantec doesn't rate high in my books as a "reliable source".

    My guess is that they have a product that will take care of this issue.

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.