HYDERABAD: Using spying technology on people might sound like a plot from your favourite movie, but such facilities are not far from you at all. In fact, an increasing number of people are using apps to snoop on others, all for a few bucks, reveals a report by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.
It doesn’t take much effort either. One just has to install the app on the victim’s smartphone or tablet to get access to his/her personal information, including location, text details, social media messages, and even live feed from the phone’s camera and microphone.
Some of these apps, such as MobileTool, iSpyoo, Talklog, and Spy Phone App, have been collectively downloaded over 20,000 times, and were reported by victims, who complained that they were affected by such stalkerware apps.
It’s particularly hard to detect such applications, Kaspersky said in its report. Some spyware apps “mask” themselves as system files. “This masking feature is common behaviour among typical Android threats. In special, more secretive cases, stalkerware applications cover up all their tracks. Upon installation, such an application removes the downloaded installer file and clears the browser history, such as the specific web pages related to the program’s distribution,” said the report, titled ‘Beware of Stalkerware’.
Data not stored securely on apps, breach could expose all
Kaspersky recommends that people do not use these apps, not just for ethical reasons, but also because these apps are always at a risk of getting hacked. These apps do not store data securely, and if hacked, massive amounts of personal data would be at a risk of getting exposed