Mobile Stalking: The thought of being tracked by someone's every move - physical or digital - is enough to terrify anyone.
Watching and / or threatening someone who is harassing you is something that most people think is limited to television and movies, but shocking new statistics from Kaspersky in collaboration with Alliance Against Stalkerware bring to the fore a stunning increase in stalkerware usage on mobile devices.
Digital technologies have made it significantly easier for them people να παραμένουν συνδεδεμένοι όπου κι αν βρίσκονται. Το αποκαλούμενο stalkerware, ειδικό εμπορικό λογισμικό κατασκοπίας, εγκαθίσταται χωρίς τη συγκατάθεση του ιδιοκτήτη της συσκευής για να μεταφέρει τις προσωπικές πληροφορίες του θύματος – εικόνες, βίντεο, συνομιλίες, γεωγραφικά δεδομένα – σε έναν κεντρικό server, που μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί εναντίον κάποιου ατόμου, είτε για να προκαλέσει συναισθηματικό ή πραγματικό κακό.
The analysis [1] of Kaspersky shows that the global number of mobile device users received attack from stalkerware increased by 67% worldwide in the previous year, from 40,386 mobile phone users affected in 2018 to 67,500 in 2019. In Greece, the corresponding number increased by 26% in 2019 compared to 2018.
5% of women in the EU report that they have experienced one or more incidents of stalking by age of 15. On the occasion of International Women's Day, Kaspersky wants to take the opportunity and try to protect women from this digital threat.
This of course is an issue that remains important every day of the year and for all members of society, not just women, but the research shows that women are significantly more likely to be victims of online, sexual harassment and digital stalking compared to men, and the consequences of this type of violence are more traumatic for victims [2].
International Alliance Against Stalkerware
Together with nine recognized companies and organizations, Kaspersky unveiled the Global Alliance Against stalkerware at the end of last year to join forces against software designed for such purposes. This new global task force combines expertise in the fields of victim assistance and digital better safetys in order to help those affected by stalkerware.
As a non-commercial initiative, the project aims to bring together actors from non-profit organizations, the digital security industry and other sectors such as law enforcement, under one roof.
"Together with our partners in the Stalkerware Alliance, we want to join forces and know-how to put an end to violence, especially against women, which is emerging from emerging technologies and our increasingly connected lifestyles. . "Our goal is to ensure that everyone affected has the knowledge they need to protect themselves against digital stalking and receive the support they need in the event of a victim," said Christina Jankowski, Senior External Relations Manager at Kaspersky.
Kaspersky Tips to Minimize the Risk of Mobile Stalking Victims:
- Prevent the installation of programs from unknown sources in your smartphone settings to protect yourself from stalkerware and malware.
- You are using a trusted password that no one else should know - even if it is a family member or a person you trust.
- Do not store unknown files or applications on personal devices, as these may damage your privacy.
- If your ex-partner had access to your personal devices, change the security settings immediately at all when the relationship is over.
- Check all your applications at regular intervals to see if any suspicious programs have been installed without your consent. Delete applications you are not using.
- Use a trusted security solution that alerts you in the event of an attempt to install spyware. Although the stalkerware is legal in some countries and not recognized as malware, many security products still warn users about this type of threat, also known as “not-a-virus”.
Mobile Stalking: The 5 most important signs of stalkerware on your smartphone
Increased data usage
Spyware applications require internet access to transfer the recorded data. If there is an unexplained increase in data usage, there is a chance that your smartphone has been "infected" with stalkerware.
Poor battery operation and low performance
Due to the constant background activity, stalkerware applications consume a lot of memory, CPU and battery. Therefore, regularly check which of your applications use your smartphone resources.
Unknown applications
Pay attention to applications that you do not recall that you have installed. It may be surveillance software installed on the device without your consent.
Suspicious noise in the background
If you hear strange noises in the background during calls, it does not mean that the bad connection is always to blame. Some stalkerware applications can record phone calls. If this problem occurs frequently, at least look out for it.
People know your personal information
If people you did not access your personal data or accounts know about recently taken photos, places you visited, or other personal information, they may have accessed that data through stalkerware.
[1] https://securelist.com/mobile-malware-evolution-2019/96280/[2] https://eige.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/cyber_violence_against_women_and_girls.pdf
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