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A spyware in a smartphone has put the personal data of thousands of users at risk. The data includes call recordings, text messages, browsing history, photos, videos and geolocation. According to a TechCrunch report, a security problem in the widely used consumer-grade stalkerware or spyware can cause personal data to be accessed from a person’s phone.
“We cannot name the spyware or its developer as it would make it easier for hackers to access vulnerable data,” the report said on Tuesday. It said that efforts are being made to contact the spyware developer because the security and privacy of thousands of people are at risk until the problem is resolved. Stalkerware apps usually enter under fake app names with suspicious access to messages, call logs, location and other personal activities.
spyware on smartphone
Once downloaded, these apps were repurposed by people to spy on their partner’s smartphone. The spyware security problem was detected as part of a detailed investigation of consumer-category spyware. The report mentions that Web firm Codero, which offers hosting for the developer’s spyware infrastructure, was contacted, but did not respond.
Google Removes “Stalkerware” Ad From Play Store
Earlier this month, Google said it had removed several “Stalkerware” ads from its Play Store that promote apps that violate its policies. The company said, “We do not allow ads that promote spyware for partner monitoring. We immediately removed ads that violate our policy and will continue to track such activity to prevent users from trying to evade our detection systems.”
Many stalkerware apps used a variety of technologies to successfully avoid Google’s ban on such apps. In October last year, Google updated its Play Store policies to ban stalkerware apps.
A recent report by cyber security firm Kaspersky claimed that as some people try to digitally control their partners’ lives, around 4,627 mobile users in India were found to be victims of stalkerware. In 2020, a total of 53,870 mobile users were affected by stalkware globally. In 2019, Kaspersky found information about 67,500 affected mobile users.
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