Security News > 2020 > May > Beer rating app reveals homes and identities of spies and military bods, warns Bellingcat

A beer and pub-rating app built off the back of Foursquare's location-tracking API poses a risk to the security of military and intelligence personnel, according to legendary OSINT website Bellingcat.

Untappd 'has over eight million mostly European and North American users, and its features allow researchers to uncover sensitive information about said users at military and intelligence locations around the world,' wrote Bellingcat's Foeke Postma in a fascinating guide to using the app for tracking down people of interest.

"Untappd users log hundreds, often thousands of time-stamped location data points. These locations are neatly sorted in over 900 categories, which can be as diverse and specific as 'botanic garden.' 'strip club,' 'gay bar,' 'west-Ukrainian restaurant,' and 'airport gate.' As the result of this, the app allows anyone to trace the movements of other users between sensitive locations,' wrote Bellingcat's Postma."

With a little knowledge of how the app works plus access to online map websites that list pub, bar and restaurant details, it's scarily simple to find people who probably shouldn't be easily findable.

His favourite establishments included on-base bars at a US naval station in Norfolk, Virginia, USA; bars next to naval bases in Spain; and 'Naval Base San Diego', included as an actual check-in location on a beer-rating app.

News URL

https://go.theregister.co.uk/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/19/bellingcat_beer_app_osint/