iPhone Encryption Data a Major Flaw in Travel Apps

A new report says the 10 most popular travel apps for iPhone and Android devices are severely flawed

• By Matt Holden
• Sep 15, 2015

A new report from Bluebox Security says the top 10 travel apps in the iOS and Android app stores are all riddled with security flaws. Bluebox says encryption app data, insufficient protection against man-in-the-middle attacks, and leftover administration or debugging code are the biggest issues for the iPhone and Android devices.

Of those flaws, a lack of encryption for app data at rest was the biggest problem, according to Andrew Blaich, lead security analyst at Bluebox Security.

"It only works when the device is off," said Blaich. "But while the device is running, the data can be stolen by other malicious apps -- or by someone grabbing the device from your hand."

In total, only one of the top 10 Android apps encrypted data, and none of the iOS apps encrypted data. Online one of the iPhone apps used certificate pinning encryption, which checks to see if the app is exchanging information with the right clients.

Travel apps are a particularly sensitive target because these apps hold personal data, financial data, loyalty program data, as well as travel itineraries.

"It's really important to understand what they're doing to protect this data," Blaich said.