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ICSE 2021
Mon 17 May - Sat 5 June 2021

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has made traditional manual contact tracing to identify persons in close physical proximity to a known infected person challenging. Hence, various public health authorities have experimented with automating contact tracing with mobile apps. However, these apps have raised security and privacy concerns. In this paper, we propose an automated security and privacy assessment tool, COVIDGuard, which combines identification and analysis of Personal Identification Information (PII), static program analysis, and data flow analysis, to determine security weaknesses and potential private information leakage in contact tracing apps. Further, in light of our findings, we undertake a user study to investigate user concerns regarding contact tracing apps. We hope, COVIDGuard and the issues raised through responsible disclosure to vendors, the concrete guidelines provided, as well as the identified gaps between user requirements and app performance we found, can contribute to the development and deployment of mobile apps against COVID-19 and help us build secure and effective digital contact tracing solutions.

Fri 28 May

Displayed time zone: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna change

10:00 - 10:55
4.1.3. Privacy in Apps: Cases from COVID-19SEIS - Software Engineering in Society / Technical Track at Blended Sessions Room 3 +12h
Chair(s): Andrea Zisman The Open University
10:00
15m
Paper
COVID-19 Vs Social Media apps: Does privacy really matter?SEIS
SEIS - Software Engineering in Society
Omar Haggag Monash University, Australia, Sherif Haggag Deakin University, Australia, John Grundy Monash University, Mohamed Abdelrazek Deakin University, Australia
Pre-print Media Attached
10:15
20m
Paper
An Empirical Assessment of Global COVID-19 Contact Tracing ApplicationsArtifact ReusableTechnical TrackArtifact Available
Technical Track
Ruoxi Sun The University of Adelaide, Wei (Zach) Wang The University of Adelaide, Minhui (Jason) Xue The University of Adelaide, Gareth Tyson Queen Mary University of London, Seyit Camtepe CSIRO Data61, Damith C. Ranasinghe The University of Adelaide
Pre-print Media Attached
10:35
20m
Paper
Sustainable Solving: Reducing The Memory Footprint of IFDS-Based Data Flow Analyses Using Intelligent Garbage CollectionTechnical Track
Technical Track
Steven Arzt Fraunhofer SIT
Pre-print Media Attached
22:00 - 22:55
4.1.3. Privacy in Apps: Cases from COVID-19Technical Track / SEIS - Software Engineering in Society at Blended Sessions Room 3
22:00
15m
Paper
COVID-19 Vs Social Media apps: Does privacy really matter?SEIS
SEIS - Software Engineering in Society
Omar Haggag Monash University, Australia, Sherif Haggag Deakin University, Australia, John Grundy Monash University, Mohamed Abdelrazek Deakin University, Australia
Pre-print Media Attached
22:15
20m
Paper
An Empirical Assessment of Global COVID-19 Contact Tracing ApplicationsArtifact ReusableTechnical TrackArtifact Available
Technical Track
Ruoxi Sun The University of Adelaide, Wei (Zach) Wang The University of Adelaide, Minhui (Jason) Xue The University of Adelaide, Gareth Tyson Queen Mary University of London, Seyit Camtepe CSIRO Data61, Damith C. Ranasinghe The University of Adelaide
Pre-print Media Attached
22:35
20m
Paper
Sustainable Solving: Reducing The Memory Footprint of IFDS-Based Data Flow Analyses Using Intelligent Garbage CollectionTechnical Track
Technical Track
Steven Arzt Fraunhofer SIT
Pre-print Media Attached