Geofencing is the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to create a ‘virtual barrier’, enabling different functionality in an application or device depending on geographical area. In particular, many applications now exist to allow users to receive alerts should a mobile device leave or join a specified area. These applications have a variety of uses, ranging from anti-theft protection to locating missing children, yet serious vulnerabilities in the most common applications may make it possible to bypass their geofencing capability, or to send false location data to users.
NCC Group conducted a security analysis of consumer-focused geofencing mobile applications available for the Android operating system from the Google Play store. The purpose of this security analysis was to identify issues associated with privacy, integrity, and overall security of the solutions.
