Speaking at SchmooCon 2010, Hawthorn noted that the game regularly checks a player's location and could broadcast this location to undesired recipients.
Underworld: SweetDeal is available from the Apple App Store. It is a multi-player online fantasy game about trading controlled substances, but it uses GPS to plot player's movements in the real world. Players can use Google Maps to locate where other players are physically. While testing the game, Hawthorne was able to track two players to parking lots in Washington DC without their knowledge. The potential hazard this presents to a player should be obvious.
ShmooCon is an annual convention for hackers in the eastern USA. It focuses on technology exploitation, inventive software and hardware solutions, and open discussions about critical information security issues.
At the convention Hawthorn also warned about the gaping security holes created by "jailbreaking" an iPhone or iPod Touch, which allows the phone to download apps which are not available from the App Store. He said: "Jailbreaking wipes away 80 percent of the iPhone’s security controls."
