Paypal, the online payments system, has been exposed over a problem with its Apple application. Those using their iPhones with Paypals IOS application could find themselves unwittingly sending information, such as account details, to an unauthorised third party, according to recent reports. The problem is to do with the fact that when the application connects with a server it does not check that servers digital certificate.

A digital certificate is a technique which is widely used to make sure that internet users are not sending data or information to websites they do not intend to. The fact that Paypal is failing to check digital certificates is leaving users open to attack by phishing websites.

Customers using Ebay are particularly at risk because they have to use Paypal as a method of sending and receiving payments. A spokeswoman for Paypal said the company, up until now, had not had any issues with its payment application, and was not aware of anybody having any problems.

The money transfer system also has an application for the Android operating system, but the company claims it is only having the digital certificate checking problem with the IOS application.

The company was keen to point out that anyone using its payment system who encounters a problem will be fully reimbursed. However, this does not discount the fact that Paypal has been worryingly negligent over its software design as well as taking care of its customers. Fixing the problem should be relatively easy, but this again begs the question: why is there a problem to begin with?

For people who haven't been following along closely, ebay and paypal, in conjunction with smartphones, cell phones etc have been having their share of troubles with security. SSL is beyond cracked and shredded.