Security News > 2020 > September > UPDATE – TikTok Ban: Security Experts Weigh in on the App’s Risks

Starting Sunday, downloads of TikTok would have been cut off from any app store operating in the U.S. Users that already have the app installed would still be able to use it, without refreshes or updates, until Nov. 12, when a complete ban was set to go into effect.

Shortly thereafter, the app fixed several severe security vulnerabilities, putting the app's security even more into the spotlight.

Some security and privacy experts that Threatpost reached out to about the TikTok and WeChat ban felt the move was a boon for consumers, and noted that the apps, like many social-media apps, are over-permissioned.

"The ban on new app versions of TikTok and WeChat is a significant indication of intensifying restrictions that signal the abuse of personal data is not okay," she said.

"The threat actor behind fake TikTok Pro app in India was able to build and distribute the app in a very short time frame once the ban went out," according to Schless.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/tik-tok-ban-security-experts-dangers/159362/