Garmin Messenger is placing too much trust in SMS verification, and this might not end well
Your old chats might not be gone when your phone number is reassigned.
A Garmin Messenger user has discovered that the app allows access to previous conversations by simply using SMS verification on a new phone, without needing the original owner's account password. The shocking revelation was shared on Reddit, raising serious concerns about privacy and security.
The user installed Garmin Messenger on a freshly set-up phone, entered their existing phone number, and completed the verification process via SMS. To their surprise, their entire chat history reappeared on the new device. Importantly, the second phone was able to send and receive messages as well, with no apparent method to view or disconnect other active sessions.
The potential implications of this vulnerability are alarming. If a phone number is recycled, the new owner could inherit the previous user's conversations, including sensitive location information. While Garmin has been notified of the issue, there has been no confirmation of a fix. The fact that handing over an old phone number could mean handing over private conversations is a troubling prospect for users of the Garmin Messenger app.
Written by urgent.news from Android Authority's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
