Hacks

A security error with Reliance Jio’s  Coronavirus  Symptom Checker App exposes its core database to the Internet without a password. The COVID-19 symptoms checker app was launched by India’s largest cell network provider Jio in late March, this app allows users to check from their phone for COVID-19 infection. Jio Symptom Checker Database Leaked The security error was first observed by security researcher  Anurag Sen  on May 1 and contacted TechCrunch to notify the company. TechCrunch  contacted  Reliance Jio and the database contains reports of users’ Covid-19 tests that were taken offline quickly. The leaked database includes millions of results starting from April 17 to the time it was taken offline. It includes details of users such as age, gender, symptoms, and health data of the people who signed in to create a profile. The database also contains details such as a person’s user agent, user’s precise location if they allowed the app t...

Tech giants  Apple  and  Google  have joined forces to develop an interoperable contract-tracing tool that will help individuals determine if they have come in contact with someone infected with COVID-19. As part of this new initiative, the companies are expected to release an API that public agencies can integrate into their apps. The next iteration will be a built-in system-level platform that uses Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons to allow for contact tracing on an opt-in basis. The APIs are expected to be available mid-May for Android and iOS, with the broader contact tracing system set to roll out "in the coming months." "Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort, and we look forward to building this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders," the companies said. The rare collaboration comes as governments worldwide are increasingly turning to technology such as phone tracking and facial recognition to battle...

As the world comes to grips with the  coronavirus pandemic , the situation has proven to be a blessing in disguise for threat actors, who've taken advantage of the opportunity to target victims with scams or malware campaigns. Now, according to a new report published by  Check Point Research  today and shared with The Hacker News, hackers are exploiting the COVID-19 outbreak to spread their own infections, including registering malicious Coronavirus-related domains and selling discounted off-the-shelf malware in the dark web. "Special offers by different hackers promoting their 'goods' — usually malicious malware or exploit tools — are being sold over the darknet under special offers with 'COVID19' or 'coronavirus' as discount codes, targeting wannabe cyber-attackers," the cybersecurity firm said. COVID-19 Discounts: Exploit Tools for Sale The report comes following an uptick in the number of  malicious coronavirus-related domains  that hav...