Researchers: Rogue S. Korean child-monitoring app is back

Associated Press

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

A South Korean child-monitoring smartphone app removed from the market in 2015 after it was found to be riddled with security flaws has been reissued under a new name and still puts children at risk, researchers said Monday.

The app “Cyber Security Zone” is part of government efforts to curb what authorities consider excessive cellphone use by young people. Parents are required by law to install monitoring software on smartphones for all children 18 and under.

The app is almost identical to a previous system, “Smart Sheriff,” which left children’s private information vulnerable to hackers, according to Internet watchdog Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Both were developed under the auspices of MOIBA, the industry association for South Korean cellphone service providers.

“The flaws in the apps open the door to possible breaches of sensitive information including passwords, phone numbers, and other user data,” Citizen Lab said.

“Smart Sheriff” was one of a family of apps intended to monitor children’s online behavior. Some, such as Smart Sheriff, act as filtering or blocking tools, while others send alerts to parents if children swear or talk about sex or bullying.

The apps have raised privacy activists’ hackles, but experts have been scathing about their lack of security. Cure53, a German auditing firm, said in 2015 that Smart Sheriff was “fundamentally broken.”