Google has removed 7 Stalkerware Apps from Google Play that spy on third-party users. Stalkerware is the commercial version of spyware apps .
These stalkerware apps allow users to spy on employees, partners, children, and other users. This can be done simply by installing these apps on the targeted device and providing access to personal data.
After installation, apps ask the person who installed the app for their email address and password .
Security researchers from Avast noticed 7 such apps on Google Play, which were likely developed by Russian developers who stalk people.
According to Avast, the apps have been installed a total of 130,000 times, with the most popular apps being Spy Tracker and SMS Tracker, both with more than 50,000 installs.
These apps are able to uninstall other apps from the targeted device and also hide their icon so that the target does not notice them.
Stalkerware is capable of tracking a person's location, collecting contacts, SMS , and call history. Here are the seven apps that were recently detected:
- Track Employees Check Work Phone Online Spy Free
- Spy Kids Tracker
- Phone Tracker
- Mobile Tracking
- Spy Tracker
- SMS Tracker
- Employee Work Spy
These apps promote criminal behavior and can be used by anyone to spy on others. According to Avast, these spyware apps are extremely unethical and destructive to citizens' privacy and should not be on the Google Play Store.
All apps have been reported to Google and have been removed from Google Play now. In 2018, Kaspersky detected 26,619 unique samples of stalkerware programs.
These apps are not distributed exclusively from the Playstore, they are advertised through online banners and using Black Hat SEO techniques they move to the top of the search rankings.
