Gauteng e-government assures panic button app data is secure despite security breach
Students from Stellenbosch University stumbled upon an unauthenticated database while analysing the e-panic button app's code.
The Gauteng provincial government is still encouraging citizens to use its e-panic button app, despite recent security concerns identified by university computer science students. Joel Cedras, one of the two students who highlighted the flaws in the app’s code, stated that he was able to access sensitive information such as user addresses, ID numbers, contact details, and crime reports.
The Gauteng e-government department has assured residents that all data is encrypted, but Cedras revealed that he could still view this information. The provincial government claims that the security breach has been rectified and that stricter cybersecurity measures will be implemented moving forward. The department maintains that no citizens' personal information was compromised during the incident.
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