Tester gets drunk, leaks secrets of new network marketing app MlmUP

In August, a sales representative at a software testing company leaked client data intended for internal use only by posting screenshots of the app MlmUP to the Internet.

In June 2016, a sales representative at a New York-based software testing company received an order to test the mobile application MlmUP, which is designed to manage business networks, train new company recruits, and track goals and objectives.

One of the center’s employees, Karl (he requested for his last name not to be used to protect his identity) confirmed that all sales representatives must sign a nondisclosure agreement regarding confidential information, including information about applications such as MlmUP. “The penalty for violating this item is dismissal and a fine of $21,547. Such a strict policy is required for our customers to trust us,” Karl said.

On August 9 on a multi-level marketing forum (mlm.com/forum), the tester Kevin Taylor posted a screenshot of the application along with a brief description of the function of MlmUP. Taylor was involved in regression testing the application and verifying the featured updates.

Afterward, some of the forum’s users talked to Taylor to understand why he had posted that confidential information to the MLM forum. Taylor explained that he had returned home from the Hot Snow nightclub, where he had consumed “6 whiskey and Cokes as well as something else, I don’t remember what.” As was Taylor’s custom, he surfed the MLM forum before bed to collect work information.

As part of testing the MlmUP application, Taylor regularly spoke on the forum with networkers in order to better understand their way of thinking. That evening, he surfed a thread on which users share business problems and talked with the user Nikki49. Taylor told Nikki49 about the work that he had been up to lately and posted a screenshot of the MlmUP app to back up his story. Nikki49 then saved the screenshots and posted them publicly on Reddit with the label “solution for the network business.”

The next day, Taylor realized his error and removed all the content from the MLM forum, but the material shared to Reddit had already reached a ranking of 4789 and received 183 points.

Kevin Taylor then tweeted:

On August 11, the post was deleted. Presumably the information security team for MlmUP discovered the leak and asked the site administration to remove information that violates its copyright guidelines.

The press service for the sales representative said, “Kevin Taylor had indeed violated the nondisclosure agreement, so he was fired and will pay a fine that will cover the losses.”

Detailed description of the leak
Screenshots:
We currently know that the app teaches new recruits and solves issues surrounding control and loyalty programs.
It comprises the following sections: Contacts, Knowledge Base, Target, Calendar, and Control.

The authors of the application provide a reminder for important calls and built planning functions into the app. Therefore, employees do not need to keep a notebook or other planning device – the app can handle the entire process.

Additionally, the user sets desired goals in the Goals tab and can even customize the color of the interface. These features can increase the user’s motivation to work on his or her business.

Developers adapted the application MlmUp for users of the top 20 network marketing companies, such as Amway, Avon, or Mary Kay. In September, MlmUP will be available for Android and iOS. The author of the app is still unknown.

Authtor: Bob Cornella,  Journalist of The Huffington Post.

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