The drama of digital spying apps (stalkerware) that place a hacker inside your phone

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL  – In 2020, at least 53,870 cell phone users worldwide were secretly spied on by a third person through their devices. Although less than two years ago (67,500), in 2021 there will be many more who will be secretly targeted, according to cyber security firm Kaspersky’s projection.

The digital spying phenomenon, known to cybersecurity experts as stalkerware, has begun to become popular and spiral out of control in recent years with the expansion of mobile devices and hyper-connectivity, a result of the development of new technologies and the confinement imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. Kaspersky spoke out against this practice in a report published this year.

“We see that the number of users affected by stalkerware is still high and we detect new cases every day. It is important to keep in mind that there is a real-life story of someone behind all these numbers and a silent cry for help,” Victor Chebyshev, head of Kaspersky’s research development team, explains in the report. The company published the report jointly with the Coalition Against Stalkerware, a project that comprises over 20 companies specializing in cybersecurity concerned about the rise in this cyber activity.

But what is stalkerware, how does it work, and who are its victims? It is software that allows tracking and monitoring a user’s activity on a smart device, such as a cell phone, tablet or computer. The problem with this software is that it was not designed specifically for spying and stalking, but rather for exchanging data between devices in a simpler way.

“While some of these tools may have a legitimate use, such as parental controls, we often observe it being installed on other people’s devices without their consent, allowing them to spy on their communications and all their activity through the features and sensors that these devices incorporate,” explains Josep Albors, Director of Research at ESET.

This is the case with NIDB, one of the tools Kaspersky considers to be “the most widely used for stalkerware.” NIDB, according to information provided by the company, is a powerful, easy-to-install database system designed to “allow easy import, search and exchange of image data.” “The data is stored on your website, controlled by you to be shared with other users whenever you want,” NIDB says. But the problem is when these tools are installed on other devices and the person who controls and monitors what happens on that phone, tablet or computer is someone other than the owner of the device.

NIDB is not the only one. There are several digital spying products on the market, such as iSpyoo, TheTruthSpy and Copy9, among others. Other digital spying apps often disguise themselves under a fake name, with suspicious access to messages, call logs, location and other personal activities. “For example, an app called WiFi that has access to geolocation is a suspect candidate,” the report warns. But, who wants to spy?

Worldwide victims

“We have to keep in mind that stalkerware is typically used by those who want to spy on or control other people, so uninstalling the app as soon as its presence is found out can have negative consequences and even lead to physical attacks,” Albors warns. Instead, the expert recommends that the victim should notify the relevant authorities of their situation so that they may act accordingly and assess the need for some kind of support to prevent reprisals.

Along the same lines, Daniel Creus, cybersecurity analyst at Kaspersky, suggests that “it is the victim who must take into account their personal circumstances to determine how to proceed. Unfortunately, victims of digital spying usually discover this when much time has passed and their privacy has been repeatedly breached. And the worst part is that their tormentors are usually people close to them. “This happens mostly in abusive relationships,” says Creus, who notes that the phenomenon is worldwide.

In terms of geographical distribution, Russia (12,389 victims), Brazil (6,523), the United States (4,745), India (4,627) and Mexico (1,570) are the most affected countries worldwide, at least during 2020. In Europe, Germany (1,547), Italy (1,345) and the United Kingdom (1,009) are the three with the most cases of digital spying. Spain ranks 12th on the world list, with 873 reported cases, but is 5th among European countries with the highest number of reported incidents.

And there could be many more cases, since these are only those that Kaspersky has detected. “We are sharing our share of the picture with the community to get a better understanding of the problem. But of course we all need to share what we find to further improve detection and protection for the benefit of people affected by cyber violence,” Chebyshev comments.

Preventing and reporting

“To install this type of software, one needs access to the victim’s device. For this reason, protecting our smartphone with appropriate security measures (PIN, unlock patterns and biometric measures) is essential to prevent it from being easily unlocked. Furthermore, we can set access restrictions to certain sections of the device, such as system settings, to prevent apps from unknown sources from being installed and gaining excessive permissions,” Albors recommends.

But how do we know if someone is spying on us? It is complex, but not impossible. The first step is to check the permissions of installed apps, make sure they were uploaded by the device owner, and delete those that are not used. “If the app has not been opened in a month or more, it is probably safe to assume that it is no longer needed,” Kaspersky explains. In addition, it is important to check the settings of unknown sources on Android devices, in particular. If unknown sources are enabled on the device, it could be a sign that unwanted software from a third-party source has been installed.

Another step is to check the browser history. “To download the stalkerware, the violator needs to visit some web pages that the affected user is unaware of, although it may be the case that nothing can be found in the history if the attacker has deleted them,” they warn in the report. But ESET and Kapersky experts agree that the most important thing is to rely on proven cybersecurity protection. And there are several apps and services for that, such as Kaspersky Internet Security (Android), TinyCheck, LastPass or Avira, which are free.

Stalkerware and Coronavirus

At Kaspersky cybersecurity company experts note that the use of stalkerware “did not increase much compared to 2019, mainly because of the atypical nature of 2020 as a result of the coronavirus.” To fight the pandemic, every country in the world has imposed huge restrictions, such as self-isolation measures or confinements, to get people to stay home. “Considering that stalkerware is more of a tool used to control one’s partner in an intimate relationship, someone the attacker lives with on a daily basis, this may explain the lower numbers compared to the previous year,” say Kaspersky professionals, who warn that in 2021, with deconfinement and vaccination, cases will increase again, as in 2019.

Source: El Pais

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