All articles tagged with #stalkerware
The article explains what stalkerware is, how to identify its presence on your phone through suspicious apps and permissions, and provides steps to remove it, including safety planning, checking app permissions, using safety features like Apple's Safety Check, performing factory resets, and securing accounts with strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
A security flaw in the Android spyware Catwatchful exposed over 62,000 customer emails and passwords, along with data from 26,000 victims, revealing its operation and administrator. The spyware, disguised as a child monitoring app, collects extensive private data and is hosted on Google Firebase, with the breach highlighting security lapses in stalkerware operations despite their illegal nature. The incident underscores ongoing risks and the importance of security measures for Android users.
Commercial spyware maker mSpy has suffered another data breach, exposing millions of users' data, including email addresses, IP addresses, and sensitive attachments. Hacktivists were responsible for the theft, which included 142GB of user data and 176GB of attachments. This is mSpy's third major breach, following incidents in 2015 and 2018. Other stalkerware companies like LetMeSpy and pcTattletale have also faced similar breaches recently.
A hacker breached the servers of stalkerware maker pcTattletale, leading to the company's shutdown. Stalkerware apps, often used for illegal surveillance, have repeatedly been hacked, exposing sensitive data and highlighting the unethical nature of these tools. Experts advise against using such apps due to their security flaws and potential for abuse.
Spyware app pcTattletale has shut down after a data breach exposed customer and victim data. The breach led to the deletion of the company's servers and the closure of its Amazon Web Services account. The app, which had 138,000 customers, was known for its ability to monitor devices without user consent, often used for illegal surveillance. The founder confirmed the shutdown and deletion of data but did not notify affected users. This incident follows similar breaches and shutdowns of other spyware apps.
Cybersecurity expert Laura Kankaala at F-Secure provides five crucial steps for safely ending a relationship in the digital age, including checking and removing access to shared devices, revoking access to social media accounts and shared image libraries, changing passwords, removing dangerous devices, and checking for stalkerware apps that could be used to monitor and spy on a person. She warns that modern technology can be misused for cyberstalking and harassment, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding personal information and devices during a breakup.
Hackers claim to have accessed and deleted device information from spyware firm WebDetetive, protecting victims from surveillance. The breach compromised over 76,000 devices and freed more than 1.5 gigabytes of data from the app's servers. While the deletion of victim's data has not been independently confirmed, a cache of data shared by the hackers provided insight into their actions.
Spyhide, a phone surveillance app, has been secretly collecting private data from tens of thousands of Android devices worldwide. The stalkerware app, often planted on a victim's phone by someone with knowledge of their passcode, remains hidden on the home screen, making it difficult to detect and remove. Spyhide uploads the phone's contacts, messages, photos, call logs, recordings, and real-time location. The app's database contained records of about 60,000 compromised Android devices, dating back to 2016, and included highly personal information such as text messages, call logs, contact lists, and photos. The spyware operation, made in Iran and hosted in Germany, was exposed by a hacker who gained access to the source code and back-end databases. Stalkerware apps like Spyhide are banned from Google's app store, but users can download them from the Spyhide website.
Android monitoring app LetMeSpy has suffered a major data breach, exposing the personal data of thousands of users. The breach, which occurred on June 21, 2023, allowed unauthorized access to email addresses, telephone numbers, and message content. LetMeSpy has suspended account-related functions and notified law enforcement and data protection authorities. The app, offered by Polish company Radeal, allows users to monitor others' devices and has been used to track over 236,000 phones worldwide, collecting millions of text messages, call logs, and locations. The stolen data includes email addresses, SMS messages, and victim locations, dating back to 2013.
A major security breach has been reported in the LetMeSpy app, a popular monitoring app for Android devices. The app, often used for parental control or employee monitoring, allows users to track calls, text messages, and GPS locations without the phone owner's knowledge. Hackers gained unauthorized access to LetMeSpy's databases, compromising personal information such as email addresses, phone numbers, and message content of thousands of Android users. Users are advised to uninstall the app, update passwords, and take necessary security measures. LetMeSpy's website is no longer in use, and users are encouraged to visit the Coalition Against Stalkerware's website for more information on identifying and removing stalkerware.
The Android stalkerware app LetMeSpy, which secretly collects call logs and text messages, has suffered a security incident resulting in the theft of user data, including email addresses and collected messages. The stolen information has been circulating online and includes details of government workers and US college students who used the app. The Polish developer of LetMeSpy has disabled account-related functions on its website and is taking measures to increase data security. The incident has been reported to the authorities, but the developer has not responded to inquiries.
LetMeSpy, a phone monitoring app marketed for parental control or employee monitoring, has suffered a data breach, with a hacker stealing messages, call logs, and locations intercepted by the app. The app is designed to stay hidden on a phone's home screen, making it difficult to detect and remove. LetMeSpy silently uploads the phone's text messages, call logs, and precise location data to its servers, allowing the person who planted the app to track the person in real-time. The leaked data contained current records on at least 13,000 compromised devices, with most of the location data points centered over population hotspots in the United States, India, and Western Africa.
New cars are like computers on wheels and can collect a lot of personal data about you. The Vehicle Privacy Report by Privacy4Cars allows you to see what information your car has on you, including your name, address, location data, biometrics, and voice recordings. The tool also lists who your information is shared with, such as insurance companies, the government, and data brokers. To protect your privacy, you can use the free Privacy4Cars app to delete personal information from vehicles you drive or are connected to.