Parents are looking for a way to monitor their children's online activities, but this can easily lead to the installation of malicious software, known as a Remote Access Trojan (RAT).
There is a difference between RATs and parental control, which is also called spyware. Unlike the latter, RATs do not come with blocking features.
Although parental control software is as intrusive as RATs and logs, some details about how the child uses his device provide the parent with the ability to block certain applications from the device, a feature that seems useful in some way, rather than simply focusing on monitoring their children.
On the other hand, RATs do not provide a similar feature. Parents seeking the installation of parental control software may also cross the line between legitimate software and malware, a fact that will be due to their lack of understanding of what differentiates the two products.
Parents are looking for software packages such as mSpy, TeenSafe, Mobile Fence or PhoneSherrif, all legitimate parental control software, which could very easily end up installing malware such as Revenge, Orcus, Ozone, JBifrost (Adwind), Remcos or Darktrack.
These are all commercially available RATs that are advertised on seemingly legitimate sites as remote administration tools or parental control software, when they offer nothing more than their ability to monitor the computers they have infected.
The prices at which these products are sold are the same as commercial parental control software.
In some cases, RATs come through a backdoor from the scammer who distributes them, so while the parent monitors their child, the RAT author monitors both. Parents should always do research before buying or installing anything on their children's devices.
There is a growing trend around the world, with parents installing apps on smartphones to monitor and block calls, SMS and apps, just as there is a trend, in which children install apps to hide their activities from parental control software.
Parents should be very careful about the products they choose to use. Experts recommend that parents tell their children that they are monitoring how they use their devices, since - logically - parents themselves do not want to lose their children's trust and eventually become alienated.
