Qatar World Cup 2022 Is Scheduled To Run From Nov 20 to Dec 18
Qatar will serve as the host for this year’s FIFA World Cup, scheduled to run from November 20 to December 18. The point worth mentioning here is that it is the first time the World Cup has been hosted by an Arab nation and only the second that has ever been held entirely in Asia. Thousands of football fans are anxious to descend on the region over the next couple of months to witness live World Cup action. However, Qatar has raised serious concerns with cybersecurity researchers by “requiring” visitors to download two apps that give officials overbearing rights to the data on their phones. Head of Security at NRK, Øyvind Vasaasen stated that it’s a deal-breaker for him. He further said: The two apps you need to download are called “Ehteraz” and “Hayya.” The first app, Ehteraz is a covid-19 tracking app available for iOS and Android. The software seems quite troubling because it asks for permissions far beyond the norm. Moreover, it wants to track users’ precise location through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which is somewhat reasonable as it is a covid-tracking app. The point to be noted here is that Vasaasen found Ehteraz wanted much more than tracking capabilities when he conducted a thorough review of the software. The app has the ability to “read, delete, or change all content” on the user’s phone. Furthermore, it can override any other installed software and prevent the phone from entering sleep mode. It can also make outgoing calls and can disable the device’s lock screen. On the other hand, seems to be a much more benign app primarily used to track matches and access Qatar’s free metro system. The requirement to install this which appears to be helpful mobile software raised red flags. Vasaasen found that Hayya also had some startling conditions. For instance, it has permission to share information from the phone with virtually no restrictions. Moreover, it also tracks the user’s location, can prevent the device from entering sleep mode and can view the user’s network connections. Vasaasen has revealed that between the two apps, the Qatar government has complete control over the data stored on a device, including the ability to alter or delete information. Also Read: Damaged European Undersea Cables Affect Internet Connectivity Globally (phoneworld.com.pk)
