‘Pokemon Go’ users exposed to cyber crime in Seoul
Unofficial apps made to 'assist' gameplay could be a security risk
By Yoon Sung-won
The nationwide sensation of location-based mobile game ‘Pokemon Go’ has ignited cybersecurity concerns, according to the Korea National Police Agency (NPA) Tuesday.
Niantic, developer of ‘Pokemon Go’, claims the game includes security measures and does not collect much private data except for the user’s email address and location information.
But diverse unofficial apps are asking for excessive private information, causing cybersecurity risks, the NPA said. These unofficial apps are made by third-party firms or personal developers to “assist” game play by providing features that cannot be found in the ‘Pokemon Go’ app and by manipulating GPS data.
Compared to Apple’s iOS mobile operating system, Google’s Android is relatively more generous in allowing app providers to request access to user data such as location, storage and address book.
The NPA said it has founded 44 Korean-language apps related to ‘Pokemon Go’ in the nation’s Google Play app market and learned they ask for 10 access rights on average.
The police urged users to read the terms thoroughly before agreeing to share their private information with third-party app providers.