Simon on: App security

Ask any organiser whether they would mind a competitor getting hold of a full list of their registrants in order to promote a competing event and most would probably object. 

Yet, according to recent reports, that’s what’s happening at some events. In some cases, the organiser has apparently been told that it’s possible and has ignored the warning.

The situation has arisen because some conference apps (not all by any means) allow any user to download a full list of registrants, in some cases, along with all their personal information.

A competitor doesn’t even need to attend the event. All they do is download the app to get free access to the registrant database.

The fact that some organisers have been told that this is possible with their event app and have done nothing to prevent it suggests that they don’t care about the security of their data. 

Unfortunately this seems to be a common attitude these days. A recent conference session on Internet security attracted only a handful of delegates while another promoting the wonders of social media was a sell-out.

Perhaps it’s time for organisers to learn how to safeguard their assets before being swept up by the latest bandwagon.

Originally published in Conference News