Security News
Sen. Josh Hawley and Sen. Rick Scott this week introduced a bill aimed at banning the use of the China-made TikTok application on government devices. Referred to as the "No TikTok on Government Devices Act," the new legislation would prevent government employees, diplomats, and politicians from downloading or using TikTok or other applications from the same developer on their government-issued phones.
TikTok, the controversial and wildly popular social video app maker, announced on Thursday that Roland Cloutier will join the company as Chief Information Security Officer. Cloutier joins TikTok from ADP where he served as SVP and Chief Security Officer, overseeing the company's cyber, information protection, risk, workforce protection, crisis management, and investigative security operations worldwide.
US officials on Wednesday stepped up warnings about the potential security risks from the fast-growing, Chinese-owned TikTok as a lawmaker unveiled legislation to ban the social media app from government devices. Senator Josh Hawley, who convened the hearing, said he was introducing a bill to ban TikTok from all US government devices, calling it "a major security risk for the American people."
The Transportation Safety Authority has become the latest federal agency to ban the use of TikTok among its employees based on national-security fears over how ByteDance, the Beijing-based company that owns the app, uses the data collected by it. Some TSA employees have used the app to create and post videos that explain the agency's boarding processes and rules, a move that raised security concerns and inspired Sen. Chuck Schumer to send TSA administrator David Pekoske a letter to stop its use, according to a report from CBS News.
The security company Check Point has revealed several vulnerabilities in TikTok, the popular Chinese video app that has raised concerns lately from the U.S. military and lawmakers. Check Point says it reported the issues to TikTok on Nov. 20 and Tiktok fixed them by Dec. 15.
TikTok, a mobile video app popular with teens, was vulnerable to SMS spoofing attacks that could have led to the extraction of private information, according to infosec researchers. If the user clicked that malicious link, the attacker could access the user's TikTok account and, so Check Point said, manipulate its content by deleting videos, uploading new videos and making private or "Hidden" videos public.
TikTok is a China-made global phenomenon mobile phone app. Now it seems that the Chinese government is not the only potential destination for their content that should worry TikTok users - Check Point found multiple vulnerabilities in the app that could easily be exploited.
Researchers say the most serious vulnerability in the platform could allow attackers to remotely take control over parts of victims' TikTok account, such as uploading or deleting videos and changing settings on videos to make "Hidden" videos public. "Many of us use the TikTok app to share enjoyable moments and snip bits of fun memories in the form of a short video clips," researchers with Check Point Research said on Wednesday.
TikTok, the 3rd most downloaded app in 2019, is under intense scrutiny over users' privacy, censoring politically controversial content and on national-security grounds-but it's not over yet, as the security of billions of TikTok users would be now under question. The famous Chinese viral video-sharing app contained potentially dangerous vulnerabilities that could have allowed remote attackers to hijack any user account just by knowing the mobile number of targeted victims.
Last month, the Pentagon told US military to steer clear of what it sees as a national-security landmine: the singing/dancing/jokey TikTok platform. TikTok has tried to soothe US fears about censorship and national security risks, including a reported plan to spin TikTok off from its parent company.