The hacker reportedly found that he could replace his id code, or hash, with that of another user – and then access their account. However, the Sydney Morning Herald strongly suggests that the problem may lie in Grindr’s underlying systems relying upon an id code to access its database, rather than a better form of authentication such as a username and password.

Grindr’s founder Joel Simkhai has responded by saying that both Grindr and Blendr will be patched “over the next few days”, and that the company will roll out a major new security upgrade in the coming we are releasing an update in the next few days- Grindr January 20, 2012Īlthough Grindr’s Twitter feed has acknowledged the security vulnerability, I couldn’t find any information on their official website. Yup, these days the internet is all about location, location, location.Īccording to journalist Ben Grubb, an unnamed hacker has revealed how to log in as another user on the Grindr app (or, indeed, its less famous straight equivalent – Blendr) without permission, impersonate them, send chat and photo messages, and view passwords.Īs the photos and communications that can be exchanged can be of a – how shall I put this? – delicate nature, you can understand the potential problems. If you think that would be a niche interest, then sit down as I tell you that Grindr claims to have over three million users. At least, that’s what I’m led to believe. So, if you’re looking for gay guys or gals in your vicinity a quick ping on Grindr will not only show you their photographs and details, but also how many feet away they are from you.īefore you know it, you’re flirting with a complete stranger and they’re sharing their precise location with your smartphone. If you’re not familiar with it, Grindr takes the hassle out of finding new acquaintances in your neighbourhood.

A popular smartphone app used by the gay community to hook-up with similarly-minded people in their vicinity suffers from a serious security vulnerability that could expose personal information and explicit photos that they have been sent.Īt least that’s the claim being made in The Sydney Morning Herald today.

Grindr subscription hack