Contact Tracing: How Does it Work?

With the accelerating rate of COVID-19 cases in Australia, the government launched a contract tracing app, named COVIDSafe, to find and contain outbreaks of this rapidly evolving virus. Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, compared the app to a "sunscreen" that would protect the citizens and "is a ticket to a COVID-safe Australia." The app received a pheromonal response and was downloaded by more than a million people within just a few hours of its release, as reported by BBC.

How Does The COVIDSafe Application Work?

This app can be downloaded from the Google Play store or the Apple App Store. Once installed, you will be asked to register yourself and provide personal details, which will be deleted after 21 days, or if someone deletes the app from their phone.

With the use of Bluetooth technology, the application works by tracking people you come in contact with (who have also used the app in the previous three weeks), after which both IDs are traded anonymously. If and when the virus infects an individual, they will receive an SMS from a health official with a code that is required by the app to grant consent to share their contact activity for the past 21 days. The app will notify the people that have been exposed and suggest self-isolation. Health officials will then reach out to the infected person, offer advice on testing, and stay safe while protecting family and friends. Hence, aiming to automate COVID-19 contact tracing and permit the ease of restriction.

Who Has Access To My Data?

The app requires users to fill out their name, age, phone number, and postcode, which will be encrypted to ensure maximum data protection. If a person is tested positive, the data (with your consent) will be held by the federal government on an Amazon Web Services server in Australia. As stated by PM, Morrison, the data can only be accessed by state health authorities charged with contact tracing. 

With millions of people using the app, data security can be the number one concern of many users. Even though data is encrypted, insecure cryptographic storage can breach a person's privacy and lead to cyber threats. Thus, the protection of web applications is an absolute necessity.

At Lean Security, we offer managed security solutions that are designed to keep web applications safe and secure. 

Don't let cybersecurity become a threat, and together, let's fight one virus at a time!