Cruz campaign updates smartphone app to fix security flaws

WASHINGTON (AP) — The campaign of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz updated its mobile app after an independent review found security flaws that could have allowed hackers to access personal data from users.

The computer-security firm Veracode performed audits of the "Cruz Crew" app and those released by other 2016 presidential contenders at the request of The Associated Press.

While AP was reporting on potential vulnerabilities with the Cruz app, a high-ranking Cruz staffer responsible for the security of the campaign's horde of personal data suffered a breach, giving a hacker access to a campaign email account.

The AP reported last month that the "Cruz Crew" app is designed to gather detailed information from users' phones — tracking their physical movements and harvesting the names and contact information of friends who might want nothing to do with his campaign.

After the AP asked Veracode to review apps released by other 2016 presidential candidates, the firm found that code included in the app from Republican candidate John Kasich contained a serious vulnerability known as "SQL injection," which allows an attacker to manipulate information stored by the campaign.