A closer look at the 'panic buttons' distributed in Colombia
The Associated Press found that a "panic button" issued in Colombia to activists and journalists who work in risky areas has vulnerabilities that could let hostile parties disable the devices, eavesdrop on conversations and track users' movements.
Eview Industrial Ltd. of Shenzhen, China, which specializes in GPS trackers for motor vehicles and personal use, makes the EV-07S.
In addition to activists and journalists, agency Director Diego Mora said some devices may be issued to demobilized rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which is currently being dismantled after a peace deal.
— Webserver and client software used to monitor the device lack the SSL, or Secure Socket Layer, technology that keeps web browser connections private.
The devices are especially popular in India , where, after the rape and murder of a medical student in a bus in 2012, the government pushed for all cellphone providers to offer panic-button features.