Popular parental control apps for Android, iOS could be exploited risking user data and safety. Parental apps are by nature intrusive to their users’ privacy. These apps are installed by parents on their children’s devices to set usage limits, block content, track locations, and monitor activities.
Despite their aim to enhance child safety, vulnerabilities in these apps could lead to unauthorized access and data leaks, posing surveillance risks.We can analyze several popular apps for security vulnerabilities using static and dynamic methods including family link, Quostodio, Wondershare FamiSafe, Parental Control Kroha, Parental Control App, and Boomerang.
What could go wrong in parental control apps?
Parental control apps could lead to remote device control, privilege escalation, restriction bypass, "safe mode" bypass, and web-based attacks.
Few vulnerabilities, like cross-site scripting (XSS), could allow children's devices to perform actions on behalf of parents or gain access to their credentials.
Certain Parental control app permissions could be revoked via Android settings, disabling the apps.
Some apps' security measures could be bypassed by rebooting the device in safe mode and uninstalling the parental control apps.
Data sent from devices to app servers when sent unencrypted, posing privacy risks.
Recommendations
Based on the vulnerabilities identified in parental control apps, here are some recommendations to enhance their security:
Strict access controls should be enforced to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive features and data within the app.
Keep your apps updated and be up-to-date about any existing security vulnerabilities related to the app.
Ensure that you use Multi-factor authentication for user access verification.
Review permissions requested by the parental control app during installation and to only grant permissions that are necessary for its functionality.
Enable device locking mechanisms, such as PIN codes or screen lock patterns, to prevent unauthorized access to their devices and the parental control app.
Regularly monitor the activity logs and reports generated by the parental control app to identify any suspicious or unauthorized activity on their children's devices.
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