iPhone and Android device owners are being warned about Stalkerware applications that allow third parties to spy on them through their mobile phones.
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Stalkerware apps are installed on devices to track victims without them knowing. Typically, jealous partners use these apps to monitor their partner's every move, often hidden from the main home screen.
Stalkerware is malicious software designed to monitor a person's smartphone without their consent. It can be used by stalkers, abusers, and control-freaks to monitor and threaten their victims. It's important to understand how stalkerware works in order to protect yourself from it.
Some of these apps try to market themselves as child-monitoring tools. Some companies allow users to spy on their partners under the guise of catching a cheating spouse.
See also: Bahamut hackers: Modify OpenVPN app and add spyware
These apps not only allow third parties to read your messages, but also scan installed apps and track social media usage and instant messenger data.
That's not the only problem, as experts have now discovered an even worse side effect. As TechCrunch reports, someone has allegedly stolen data from over a hundred thousand iPhones and Androids. Apparently, these apps are full of security vulnerabilities that could expose personal information.
Encryption is crucial to protecting user data, but it seems that this encryption has been bypassed or never existed. Since 2014, the stalkerware app Xnspy has affected at least 60,000 people, with thousands more added each year. While most victims are Android users, Xnspy has also obtained data from thousands of iPhones .
See also: New SandStrike spyware infects Android devices via malicious VPN app
The iPhone's security measures make it much harder to install malicious apps on an iOS. So, instead of targeting iPhone data, the developers of these apps look for backups stored in iCloud.
