January 4, 2026
Swipe right for chaos
Using Hinge as a Command and Control Server
Swipe-right spyware? Crowd split between “cool trick” and “bad idea”
TLDR: A researcher showed you could hide data in Hinge photos to run covert commands. Commenters mocked the practicality, warned about biometrics and ethics, and pitched crypto networks as a better channel—highlighting the tug‑of‑war between creative hacks and real‑world risks.
Someone just demoed a wild proof‑of‑concept: hide tiny programs inside dating photos and use Hinge—the “designed to be deleted” app—as a covert command center. Cue chaos. Confused readers asked for an ELI5 (explain like I’m five): is this basically “secret messages inside selfies”? Yes, kind of. Skeptics quickly rained on the parade. One popular voice argued the whole thing is impractical because access tokens rotate and centralized control servers are old‑school anyway. Another commenter deadpanned: “Wait, Hinge is a dating app, right?” adding to the meme wave of “Swipe right for malware.” The biggest spicy take? A crypto fan claimed the “best C2” (that’s command‑and‑control) is simply blockchains, because wallet addresses can encode commands—no dating profile needed. The ethics brigade then entered stage left: a user called out that Hinge uses video facial checks, meaning you’d be tying your biometric face to sketchy behavior. The vibe shifted from “lol clever” to “yikes, don’t.” Meanwhile, the crowd joked about roses being payloads and asked if the next exploit is on hinge.co. Bottom line: it’s imaginative, it’s messy, and the internet can’t decide if this is hacker art or just clout bait.
Key Points
- •The article demonstrates a proof-of-concept for using Hinge as a C2 channel by encoding binaries into images and uploading them to profiles.
- •Account setup for research involves obtaining a phone number, with Mint Mobile trial SIMs suggested as a practical option.
- •A Python script (using NumPy and PIL) encodes a compiled C payload into an image; Hinge’s transformations may necessitate stronger steganography.
- •Hinge’s public, undocumented API can return profile media if the user’s ID is known and specific headers are provided.
- •The write-up credits prior reverse engineering work and clarifies the approach is not eligible for Hinge’s HackerOne program due to required app patching/MITM.