WHAT IS STALKERWARE AND HOW TO DEFEND IT?

A "stalkerware", also known as "spouse ware", "stalker virus" or "software for spouses" is an application used to spy used by insecure users or who distrust their partners, who install the tool on their mobile, and thus they know every detail of what they look at, do, talk or search on the Internet.

As we say, to make use of a stalkerware, the user must install the application on the mobile of the other person whom he wishes to investigate. In other words, you must manage the passwords for accessing the device and, in an "oversight" of the owner, download and install the stalkerware. Then, the spy user's computer is linked to the spied mobile and data such as location, text messages, notifications from social networks, the photos and videos that he takes with the mobile will automatically begin to arrive. But the holy grail of this software is having access to the calls and conversations you run with the device.

Is it legal to use stalkerware?

Regarding the legality of a stalkerware is variable, considering that it has been developed as a tool for parental control, and thus parents can control the use that their children give their mobile, who watch the Internet or even with whom they chat and they talk on the phone. In this case it is completely legal.

But, if it is used to control or spy on the couple or as evidence in divorce proceedings, it is completely illegal and could bring legal problems to the spy user. This occurs because the laws in certain countries ensure the integrity of the accused who must approve or express their consent to evidence of recordings of their privacy.

However, in China some spyware was used to monitor what tourists were doing in the country. Also, the same happened with Spyware Pegasus, a spyware developed in Israel, to enter the WhatsApp of important personalities in the world, without their consent. These practices, although illegal, were terminated without any retaliation.

How to detect the presence of spyware on your mobile?

An advantage for the spy user is that stalkerware is difficult for the spy user to detect. Full control of what is done by the infected mobile is received by the other person from their own mobile, tablet or computer, and that information is hosted on external servers on the internet.

However, there are ways to identify whether a user's mobile is being controlled by a stranger or by their partner using stalkerware. Here are some tips to detect and prevent privacy breaches from your phone:

-If the couple begins to discover things that they did not know and that the user has only expressed in private conversations, it is a good indicator of suspicion that they have one of these programs to harass on the computer.

-If the device overheats or the battery lasts less than normal, even though you use it with the same frequency, it may be a sign that there is software working in the background consuming the resources of the computer.

-Another way to detect if you have spouse ware installed is by checking the email inbox for the amount of spam that arrives, evaluating if it is out of the ordinary.

-Also, it may be in the presence of spyware if, when you open a web browser, pop-up windows begin to appear, something unusual.

How to remedy this situation?

If you suspect that you have stalkerware installed on your mobile, the best recommendation is to do a general reset of the equipment, returning to factory settings. This would be the extreme case to solve it, but to prevent all this from the beginning, it is best to have the equipment with security systems by password or patterns, allow only the download of applications using the fingerprint, among others.

Also, you can evaluate the list of applications installed on the device and if you see any unknown or strange ones, it is best to delete them.