Security laboratory CovertLabs has launched an ambitious project called Firehound, which aims to detect applications in App Storu, which handle user data insecurely. The results are alarmusers: more than 190 iOS applications from various categories – especially in the field of AI – expose the sensitive data of millions of users.
You might be interested in
Chat & Ask AI: over 400 million records
The biggest "sinner" is the application Chat & Ask AI, which according to Firehound exposed over 406 million records containing names, emails, and history chatfrom more than 18 million users. This data is publicly available due to poorly secured databases or cloudnew storage.
‼️ STOP USING THIS APP IMMEDIATELY
During a routine security scan I discovered a critical vulnerability in the "Chat & Ask AI" app that exposes the entire chat history of over 18 million users – that's 380 million messages, completely accessible to anyoneone who knows where to… pic.twitter.com/tfYF19B2u4
— harry (@Harrris0n) January 18, 2026
Firehound has so far published 198 apps, 196 of which expose data in some way. In addition to AI, these include apps in the education, health, lifestyle, and entertainment categories.
What does this mean for users and developers?
The project authors warn that public access to the full results is limited. Detailed listings are only available to registered users – journalists and security experts are given priority. Each access request is manually reviewed due to the sensitivity of the data.
Whether apps were built with AI tools or not, it's clear that many developers underestimate security. Firehound is an important warning for anyone using AI. chatbots or other modern mobile applications. Users should be careful about what data they share, and developers should put more emphasis on privacy protection.
