Security Risks for Audio-centric Social Media Apps

The use of audio-only social media apps such as ClubHouse, Riffr, Listen, Audlist, and HearMeOut has been steadily capturing the interest of more and more users over the recent years. But just like any other technology, apps like these are not immune from security risks. Furthermore, most of these risks can be automated, helping attackers propagate these threats easier and faster. It should be noted that these apps are not inherently malicious by themselves; the threats come from cybercriminals looking at ways to exploit these platforms.

In this entry, we demonstrate and outline these risks by analyzing these apps (primarily ClubHouse but also including Riffr, Listen, Audlist, and HearMeOut). We also share some recommendations on how to avoid them. The Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) has