A request to search your contacts by the Ted Cruz mobile app is photographed on an iPhone on Feb. 11. | AP Photo Report: Presidential campaign apps failing to safeguard data

People who share their personal information with presidential campaign apps may be putting their privacy at risk, according to new research from the cybersecurity firm Symantec — which found that more than half of mobile apps related to campaigns for the White House "leak" user data by failing to secure it properly.

The applications that fail to keep users' data safe from potential snoops include the official apps of GOP candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich, the company said in a report released this morning.


The report identified no problems with the official campaign apps of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.

"In the case of the official John Kasich 2016 mobile app developed by MyCivic, every app you have installed on your device and your location is leaked," Symantec said in its description of what it discovered with its software. "In the case of the official Ted Cruz 'Cruz Crew' app developed by uCampaign, your mobile device details and unique IMSI identification are leaked." IMSI identifies individual cell phone users.

The app of Ted Cruz has previously come under scrutiny for the amount of user information it siphons and makes vulnerable, although the campaign says it has shored up its flaws.

Symantec estimated that 75 percent of presidential primary apps are categorized under Republican front-runner Donald Trump's name. Bernie Sanders has a greater share of than Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, 13 percent to 7 percent. Some apps leak more personal information than others, such as phone numbers or account details the report found.

Symantec doesn't point to any actual instances of hackers obtaining data from the apps.