App is back and still puts children at risk

SEOUL — A South Korean child-monitoring smartphone app that was removed from the market in 2015 after it was found to be riddled with security flaws has been reissued under a new name and still puts children at risk, researchers said on Monday.

The “Cyber Security Zone” app is part of government efforts to curb what authorities consider excessive cell phone use by young people. Parents are required by law to install monitoring software on smartphones for all children 18 and under.

The app is almost identical to a previous system, “Smart Sheriff”, which left children’s private information vulnerable to hackers, said internet watchdog Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Both were developed under the auspices of MOIBA, the industry association for South Korean cell phone service providers.

“The flaws in the apps open the door to possible breaches of sensitive information including passwords, phone numbers, and other user data,” Citizen Lab said in a statement.

“Smart Sheriff” was intended to send alerts to parents if children swore or talked about sex, bullying or feeling depressed. But experts were scathing about its lack of security. Cure53, a German auditing firm, called the program “fundamentally broken”.

“Users are being misled,” said the Citizen Lab report.

MOIBA denied the two systems were the same and an official of the group said a review by the government’s Korean Internet & Security Agency found security for “Cyber Security Zone” satisfactory.

“We cannot agree to the opinion that the application was not developed with security in mind,” said the official, Noh Yong-lae.

Kwon Man-sub, an official with the telecom regulator Korea Communications Commission, said if new security risks are found, the government is willing to review them. “By law, we have a duty to protect juveniles.”