Tik or Tok? Is TikTok secure enough, asks Check Point

A research team at Israel's Check Point reports that in the last few months it has seen evidence of the potential risks embedded within the TikTok application.

Available in over 150 markets, used in 75 languages globally, and with over 1 billion users, TikTok has definitely cracked the code to the term “popularity” across the globe, Check Point said in a report on its site (www. https://research.checkpoint.com/2020/tik-or-tok-is-tiktok-secure-enough/). As of October 2019, TikTok is one of the world’s most downloaded apps.

The application is mainly used by teenagers and kids that are using this app to create short music clips, mostly lip-sync clips of 3 to 15 seconds, and short looping videos of 3 to 60 seconds. The application allows the youth to share, save and keep private (and sometimes very sensitive) videos of themselves and their loved ones.

"In the last few months we have seen evidence of the potential risks embedded within the TikTok application, and this has been acknowledged as well by others in the industry. According to USA Today, the US Navy banned the use of the application for its personnel, while in an article by The Guardian, Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer says that the 'TikTok app poses potential national security risk'. In addition, the New York Times has published that TikTok is under national security review. Most recently, CNet.com reported that the US Army banned TikTok from use on government phones, reversing its policy on the entertainment app, which it recently used as a recruiting tool.

"In recent months, Check Point Research teams discovered multiple vulnerabilities within the TikTok application. The vulnerabilities described in this research allow attackers to do the following:

Get a hold of TikTok accounts and manipulate their content

Delete videos

Upload unauthorized videos

Make private “hidden” videos public

Reveal personal information saved on the account such as private email addresses

"Check Point Research informed TikTok developers about the vulnerabilities exposed in this research and a solution was responsibly deployed to ensure its users can safely continue using the TikTok app."

See the above link for more information.