Major vulnerability shows dangers of mandatory contact-tracing apps

Meant to keep the residents of Qatar coronavirus free, a new mandatory contact-tracing app instead put their privacy at risk. 

The government of Qatar, like many around the world and in the U.S., is pushing contact-tracing apps as a tool in the battle against the spread of the coronavirus. Unfortunately, the Qatar Ministry Of Interior's mandatory EHTERAZ app exposed users to a wide range of potential violations. 

So found Amnesty International, which on Tuesday reported that a vulnerability in the app "would have allowed cyber attackers to access highly sensitive personal information, including the name, national ID, health status and location data of more than one million users." Read more...