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OkCupid Dating Application Defects Could’ve Let Hackers Read Your Private Messages

Cybersecurity specialists today uncovered a few security issues in mainstream web based dating stage OkCupid that might let assailants distantly spy on clients’ private data or perform pernicious activities for the benefit of the focused on accounts.

As indicated by a report imparted to The Hacker News, scientists from Check Point found that the imperfections in OkCupid’s Android and web applications could permit the robbery of clients’ confirmation tokens, clients IDs, and other delicate data, for example, email addresses, inclinations, sexual direction, and other private information.

After Check Point scientists capably imparted their discoveries to OkCupid, the Match Group-possessed organization fixed the issues, expressing, “not a solitary client was affected by the expected weakness.”

The Chain of Flaws

The imperfections were distinguished as a component of figuring out of OkCupid’s Android application variant 40.3.1, which was discharged on April 29 not long ago. From that point forward, there have been 15 updates to the application with the latest variant (43.3.2) hitting Google Play Store yesterday.

Check Point said OkCupid’s utilization of profound connections could empower an agitator to send a custom connection characterized in the application’s show record to open a program window with JavaScript empowered. Any such solicitation was found to restore the clients’ treats.

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The scientists likewise revealed a different imperfection in OkCupid’s settings usefulness that makes it powerless against a XSS assault by infusing malevolent JavaScript code utilizing the “segment” boundary as follows: “https://www.okcupid.com/settings?section=value”

The previously mentioned XSS assault can be increased further by stacking a JavaScript payload from an assailant controlled worker to take validation tokens, profile data, and client inclinations, and transmit the amassed information back to the worker.

“Clients’ treats are sent to the [OkCupid] worker since the XSS payload is executed with regards to the application’s WebView,” the specialists stated, delineating their technique to catch the symbolic data. “The worker reacts with an immense JSON containing the clients’ id and the confirmation token.”

Once possessing the client ID and the token, a foe can send a solicitation to the “https://www.OkCupid.com:443/graphql” endpoint to bring all the data related with the casualty’s profile (email address, sexual direction, tallness, family status, and other individual inclinations) just as complete activities for the benefit of the undermined individual, for example, send messages and change profile information.

Be that as it may, a full record commandeer is preposterous as the treats are secured with HTTPOnly, relieving the danger of a customer side content getting to the ensured treat.

In conclusion, an oversight in the Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) strategy of the API worker could have allowed an aggressor to make demands from any source (for example “https://okcupidmeethehacker.com”) so as to get hold of the client ID and confirmation token, and accordingly, utilize that data to remove profile subtleties and messages utilizing the API’s “profile” and “messages” endpoints.

Recall Ashley Madison Breach and Blackmail Threats?

In spite of the fact that the weaknesses were not misused in the wild, the scene is one more token of how troublemakers could have exploited the imperfections to undermine casualties with dark and coercion.

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After Ashley Madison, a grown-up dating administration taking into account wedded people looking for accomplices for issues was hacked in 2015 and data about its 32 million clients was presented on the dim web, it prompted an ascent in phishing and sextortion crusades, with blackmailers allegedly sending customized messages to the clients, taking steps to uncover their enrollment to loved ones except if they pay cash.

“The desperate requirement for protection and information security becomes unmistakably progressively critical when so much private and personal data is being put away, oversaw and broke down in an application,” the specialists finished up. “The application and stage was made to unite individuals, obviously where individuals go, hoodlums will follow, searching for obvious targets.”