Super popular hook-up app, Tinder, had a major flaw that could have allowed hackers to locate the precise position of any user. This could be done between 40 to 165 days, and Tinder had no idea this was happening. Furthermore, the team behind Tinder might not have known how long this flaw was a part of the app, as they were told of it back in October of 2013.
Tinder is an app that connects flirty users to persons similar to themselves near their location. The app is designed to show users how close a person is to their location, but not the exact location. This has allowed Tinder to become popular among both male and females looking to hook up.
However, researchers at Include Security made a striking discovery in October, one that shows how Tinder was giving detailed information on the location of all its user. Basically, a hacker could pinpoint the exact location within 100 feet, and that's something that could have proven scary for many Tinder users - current and potential. Still, before things could take a bad turn, Include Security alerted Tinder of the problem, and now the hole has been plugged.
It took some time for it to be fixed though, as it took Tinder over a month to get back to Include Security, according to founder, Erik Cabeta. After informing Tinder of the problem on October 23, a Tinder employee replied back on December 2, stating that Tinder is asking for more time to fix the issue.
At some point before the first of January, the issue was fixed via an update. However, Tinder did not alert the community of the problem, which lead Cabeta to do the good deed via YouTube.
Luckily enough, Include Security did not share the tool called TinderFinder with the world, or else Tinder would have found itself in a catastrophe with a host of class action lawsuits from its over 400 million users.
Speaking of 400 million users, is it possible Tinder might cost nearly the same to acquire as WhatsApp, since the app has around 450 million registered users right now.
