Experts warn of the increased use of this type of software that was intended to track the couple via cell phone. Increase downloads by 35% to track your digital life (obviously private). But what is Stalkerware?
This type of app does not comply with the policies of official stores like Google Play. However, they already exist.
Every time you download the apps known as “stalkerware” to your cell phone you open the door to Internet demons. And is that the demand for technologies to spy on peers or family through mobiles is increasing.
“These apps, also known as stalkerware or spouseware, can be installed on the devices of employees or family members for a relatively low fee.
These applications remain hidden and keep their users up to date on device location, browsing history, SMS messages, social network conversations and more. Some of them can even record videos or audios,” says the specialized Kaspersky site.
We present you with five latent dangers when downloading the apps known as stalkerware to your cell phone:
What Is Stalkerware? Five latent dangers
1. These applications put both the author and the victim of espionage at risk. How do these applications transmit the data collected to the person who installed them? By uploading them to a server where the user can access and filter the results.
2. Stalkerware can spy on an employee, all messages you send and receive with confidential documents and project information, including messages with you, will be stored on a server.
3. Apps don’t comply with the policies of official stores like Google Play, so you won’t find them there. That means that in the case of an Android device, you must approve the installation of third-party applications, which in turn opens the door to malware.
4. These applications are not illegal in many countries, although spying on family members is a prosecutable crime. For this reason, developers resort to legal loopholes, for example, referring to these applications as parental control solutions.
5. Some espionage applications insist on deactivating protection solutions; in fact, if they are granted permission, they can do this themselves.
How to protect yourself?
But if our phone already has some kind of stalkerware installed, how can we detect it? The activity of the software itself can cause the mobile battery to fall more than normal. In addition, this would also heat the device.
Another security company says there are practical steps people can take if they suspect they are being spied on.
Don’t leave your device unattended. Many software need physical access.
Don’t use the fingerprint reader so they don’t unlock it when you sleep.
Download a security app. Antivirus can detect spyware.
“It’s always a good idea to check which applications are on your phone and run a virus scan when necessary, and if there’s an application on your device that you don’t recognize, it’s worth looking for information on the Internet and removing it if necessary,” says Jake Moore from Eset.
It is also recommended to “keep your phone always up to date” and “have a backup of the device to reset the device. This frees the phone from this software. Because if it’s installed strangely, it won’t be part of the official copy.
If your phone uses more data or more battery than usual, it’s a good idea to look at the settings to see why this happens: “If a strange program appears, it may be spyware. When there’s a battery drop or overuse of data, it’s something you usually have to look at, see what’s going on.
Paranoid already?
But you don’t have to become paranoid either. Many times the mobile is doing things because you’re using it, it’s normal that the battery runs out. Maybe a movie or Google Maps has been left in the background and they continue consuming.
It is convenient not to install applications from unknown repositories. This is a difficult thing to do on iPhone, as the mobile forces you to download them from the App Store, but Android does give flexibility in this regard, and you can take a risk if you do.
As a general rule, if you’re not using an application, delete it.
In short, this new threat can be very dangerous because of the ease with which it is installed and the amount of data it can collect. However, with a few simple precautions, no one will install any type of stalkerware on your mobile.
