Stalkware is being installed on more and more victims' devices, and the trend is only accelerating, according to a new report.
When spouses, colleagues, domestic partners, and random strangers install software to spy on a victim, the "stalkerware" can be a disturbing tool of abuse. And it's a tool that's part of a problem that is growing in size and scope.
A new report, "The State of Stalkerware in 2019," from Kaspersky Lab, shows that from January to August 2019 there were more than 518,223 cases globally when the company's technologies either registered the presence of stalkerware on users' devices or detected an attempt to install it. That represents a 373% increase from the same period in 2018.
The report draws a distinction between stalkerware, which can report location, message contents, and call destinations; and spyware, which can deliver full screenshot and keystroke information to the installer. In both cases, the software can do its work without detection. Fortunately, neither stalkerware or spyware is readily available from a legitimate app store: The threat actor must download the software from an app-specific location and then gain access to the victim's device to side-load the monitoring app.
According to Kaspersky, the Russian Federation is the nation where stalkerware is installed most often, with India, Brazil, the US, and Germany rounding out the top five.
For more, read here.
Check out The Edge, Dark Reading's new section for features, threat data, and in-depth perspectives. Today's top story: "The Inestimable Values of an Attacker's Mindset & Alex Trebek."
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like
Guarding the Cloud: Top 5 Cloud Security Hacks and How You Can Avoid Them
April 4, 2024Cybersecurity Strategies for Small and Med Sized Businesses
April 11, 2024Defending Against Today's Threat Landscape with MDR
April 18, 2024Securing Code in the Age of AI
April 24, 2024
Black Hat USA - August 3-8 - Learn More
August 3, 2024Cybersecurity's Hottest New Technologies: What You Need To Know
March 21, 2024Black Hat Asia - April 16-19 - Learn More
April 16, 2024