Stalker Danger: Researchers Reveal

Tracking Vulnerability in Bumble

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Researchers have found vulnerabilities in several dating applications, including Bumble, that can be exploited by hackers to stalk their users. In fact, the location of Bumble users can be known with an accuracy of up to 2 meters.

Researchers from KU Leuven conducted an analysis of 15 popular dating applications including Bumble, Badoo, Grindr, and Hinge. The results showed that all of these applications have “holes” that can be exploited to find the user’s location accurately.

The location of Bumble users is not tracked using the distance feature between two users, but using the filter feature that is also available in other dating applications. The filter feature is usually used so that users can limit the search category for “potential partners” such as age, height, and distance.

To track the user’s location, the researchers used the “oracle trilateration” technique. The “trilateration” technique utilizes three points and their distance from the person they want to stalk. Based on these points and distances, the researchers then draw three circles. The intersection between the three circles is the target location.

Oracle Trilateration is slightly different. Initially, the technique estimates the target’s location based on available data such as their Bumble profile. Then, the tracker moves little by little in three different directions until “there is an indication that the target is out of the area.”

As a result, the tracker has three positions with their distances. These three positions are then used as points to determine the location of the tracking target accurately.

“It can be up to 2 meters away, this is enough to know the exact location of the target,” one of the researchers named Karel Dhondt told Tech Crunch.

The researchers have reported this vulnerability to the application developers. The solution, according to them, is to round the location tracking coordinates to 3 characters.

“This creates an uncertainty of up to one kilometer,” Dhondt said.

Bumble’s VP of Global Communication Gabrielle Ferree said the company was aware of this finding since 2023 and immediately took action.

SOURCE : CNBC INDONESIA