StopCovid: A hacker detects some issues but no major vulnerabilities

The StopCovid application, a government initiative that examines contacts between people to determine transmission routes, will likely be launched in the coming days. Yesterday, Wednesday, May 27, the National Assembly gave its approval (338 votes in favor and 215 against) after 4 hours of heated discussion. It is now up to the Senate to express itself on this matter, with or without approving the implementing ordinance that governs its distribution and operation.

If approved, the app could be available on the Play Store and App Store this weekend, just in time for the second phase of the French decontinuation plan. One of the issues discussed among supporters and opponents of Stopcovid is the security of personal information. Indeed, the app uses Bluetooth technology to measure distance with another smartphone and swap anonymized information. No personal data is included.

Is it possible to hack a smartphone and its sensitive data through this link and app? To answer this question, the government treasure hunt meanwhile, “ethical hackers” are invited to find flaws and report them to the developer, who will fix them during large-scale launch.

A few minor flaws, but nothing serious

One of them is called Baptiste Robert. He testified at Europe 1’s microphone last night to reveal his initial findings. According to him, Lunabee Studio, which is responsible for developing the app, has done a good job. StopCovid’s simplicity plays in its favor : It is difficult to find a function to enter a smartphone. He discovered Some flaws via Bluetoothhowever ” It is not important in his words.

The only information it manages to recover this way is the permissions granted to the app. It reminds us that there is no absolute security. But in the coming days, he will continue to review the app with other security experts participating in the treasure hunt and get as close as possible to looking for flaws.

Source : Europe 1