Security alert: texting apps aren't always your friend

The convenience and enriching experience offered by stand-alone instant messaging apps is indeed unprecedented, but unfortunately, they come at the price of security. Chat app service providers have found themselves in hot water time and time again for their seemingly lack of interest and commitment to securing the data of their users, though this has still failed to invoke an urgency in them to take necessary steps to bolster the defense of their system and network. If you’re using such apps for your communication needs, then you must know the security risks that you’re exposing yourself to.

A beacon for miscreants

You may already be knowledgeable about the working of a stand-alone chat app. It typically sends your phone number of SIM card information to the internal server maintained by the instant messaging service provider to authenticate your identity and subsequently connect you with other users. A tunnel is created between the device and the server for as long as the app remains active. In security terms, this is a vulnerability that servers as a beacon for hackers and other miscreants, thus making the device a potential target for malware or repeated break-in attempts.

A buffet of private data

Another security risk involved in using third-party chat apps for communications is that the data is generally sent through thin air, making it susceptible to interception by even a hacker of mediocre skills. Most chat apps don’t apply any level of scrambling or encryption to the data, thus making it convenient for the eavesdropper to easily read and interpret the conversations. Some apps such as BBM attempt to improve data security by scrambling it, but the protocols are not fool-proof, thus allowing hackers to get around them. WhatsApp, currently the leading instant messaging app with over 400 million monthly users, had been found guilty of transmitting user data in raw form, leaving it completely vulnerable to hackers. However, the service eventually began encrypting data, though its encryption method is known to have security holes in it. With even the most popular instant messaging app not having robust security protocols in place, it is clear that such a platform is pretty unsafe for sensitive communication.

Rogue apps

The cliché “seeing is believing” definitely doesn’t apply on third-party chat apps. Developers with malicious intents create a chat app, but rather than simply stopping there, sneak a spyware feature into them. Of course, the users aren’t notified of this particular functionality. Once the app is installed on the cell phone, it may ask for permissions that aid it in spying on the user’s personal data and transmitting it back to the miscreant, who may then use it for illegal purposes.

The threat at the core

As mentioned before, the instant messaging network is made up of the user’s device and the internet server of the service provider. When you send someone an instant message, it first passes through the internal server before reaching the target device. Many service providers save a copy of the communication, including pictures, on their servers. Aside from communications, the server may also store other data, such as the phone number, geo-location, etc. If such kind of information lands in the wrong hands, you may have more than your security at risk. There is no way for users to confirm the security of the server where their data is being stored.

Despite all the security risks involved in third-party messaging apps, their popularity has been on a continuous rise since the past few years. In fact last year, messages sent through such apps outnumbered SMS messaging. Major instant messaging service providers such as WhatsApp and WeChat have begun to take more interest in security lately, integrating tools such as data encryption and scrambling to protect the data from prying eyes.