[ssbtech]

Boyfriend tracking app: creepy and crazy or helpful intelligence?

Coming to us from a Brazilian app developer, �Boyfriend Tracker� (Rastreador de Namorados) is an app that appears to have been doing very well, hitting around 50,000 downloads.

The Android app isn�t detectable by the phone�s owner � at least not easily detectable if you get the paid version � which made it the ideal method of following a boyfriend�s tracks.

Boyfriend Tracker doesn�t just send location-based updates to the person who set it up, the app can also forward text messages from the compromised phone back to the installer. Heck, you could even make the target phone call yours, silently, so you could listen in on their conversations.

[...]

Blogs | Tech & Gadgets - MSN CA

So, is this app exploiting security vulnerabilities in Android or is this something easily doable on BB10?

[qbnkelt]

Boyfriend tracking app: creepy and crazy or helpful intelligence?


Blogs | Tech & Gadgets - MSN CA

So, is this app exploiting security vulnerabilities in Android or is this something easily doable on BB10?

Well to install it on my device my much adored Englishman would have to first unlock my device, then put a separate password in the BlackBerry World store. That's two secure passwords he would have to go through so I'm not concerned. In part because he knows that if he attempts that he will be thonked on the head first then sent back to merry ol' England sooner than the thought.

As far as Android, my device is locked. And in that device there has to also be a password to install any app.

So....this app may work for people who do not have these kinds of security features enabled. Again, the greatest risk resides with the user, not the device.

[howarmat]

Right on Q. It all really depends on the user and how much they control their device

[Chanlion]

For now and a very general answer to your question, no. BB10 is secure enough.

[mikeo007]

I don't want to burst any bubbles, but this is actually very doable on current BB10 devices. There are of corse 2 caveats (at least 1 of which applies to the Android app in the OP)

Caveat #1 (for android and BB10): you must know the device password (or device must not have a password)

Caveat #2: the BB app must be side loaded. It would never pass BB world validation.

Now I'm not sure exactly how the app in the OP works, but I would guess that it basically tracks the phone's position, messages, and possibly other things, and uploads a report somewhere for the "girlfriend" to check.

On BB10, you would just need to write an app that periodically polls for device GPS coords, records info from incoming messages, and uploads periodically when a connection is available. All doable with existing APIs, and could technically be sold in BB world.

But that app is still running in an active frame, so easily noticeable and easy to close. So you need to make the app headless. Luckily apps can already be made headless, even in 10.1, they just won't qualify for BB world, so you'd need to sideload. All very doable though, and quite easily.

[ssbtech]

BlackBerry's password implementation is pathetic so most people leave their phones without a password.

I suggested in the "what would you like to see" thread that they implement controls that prevent software installation without a password, but lets the user use the phone without entering a password every time they pick it up.

Trusted people like a partner, friend, spouse, etc... should be able to "use" the phone, but not install apps or access certain other administrative functions.

[magsasaka]

Trusted people like a partner, friend, spouse, etc... should be able to "use" the phone, but not install apps or access certain other administrative functions.

Sounds like parental control. Check it out on the settings. Never tried it so I'm not really sure.

Let us know what you find out

Posted via CB10

[tgillan]

You would have to open the app and leave it running to function.

Unless it's an android port, but even then it would need to be started by the user. Or if it was native and used the not yet available headless api.

As far as I know very few apps auto start with the device. Skype is the only one that I have installed.

Posted via CB10