EU’s “safe by design” age-verification app cracked in minutes, raising data security fears
The EU's new age-verification app, touted as privacy-preserving, was found critically vulnerable to hacking in under two minutes. Experts warn that this flaw highlights broader challenges in building effective and secure age-verification systems.
The European Union's age-verification app, introduced to protect children online, has been found critically vulnerable to hacking. Security researchers identified significant design flaws, including storing user PINs locally, allowing attackers to bypass authentication controls. The vulnerability was demonstrated by security consultant Paul Moore, who showed that editing local configuration files could reset PIN protections and access stored credentials. Experts warn that this flaw could lead to a massive breach, posing risks to individual users and platforms relying on the app. The incident highlights the challenges of building age-verification systems that are both effective and privacy-preserving. As governments expand age-check mandates, the risk of surveillance, exclusion, or large-scale data breaches persists.
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