A Department of Homeland Security pilot project discovered critical flaws in 18 mobile apps used by public safety officials to respond to emergencies, The Hill reports.
The program sought to test how vulnerable smartphone apps used in the public safety sector are to cyberattacks, which included ransomware and spyware, and whether those apps had any coding vulnerabilities that could compromise their security.
DHS said 32 of the 33 apps it tested raised security and privacy issues, and 18 of the apps contained "critical flaws." None of the apps have been named or described.
Project participants have already worked with app developers to address these concerns in 14 of the apps, according to The Hill.
Vincent Sritapan, DHS' Science and Technology Directorate's program manager for mobile security research, told The Hill the results demonstrate "the efficacy, benefits and value an ongoing app-testing program will provide to the public-safety community and the nation."
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