How to protect yourself from spyware apps

Spy apps, also known as stalking apps, secretly track and monitor devices. Once installed and hidden on a phone, they can track someone’s location, monitor their web search history, receive alerts for specific web search terms, remotely control their camera and microphone, and read all incoming messages.

While headlines often highlight the impact of spyware on national security, the hidden world of spy apps also allows people to spy on other people’s phones, raising serious privacy concerns.

Antivirus company Avast reports a staggering 239% increase in mobile stalkerware cases worldwide over the past three years. Around 1-3% of women in Europe have experienced cyberstalking, according to a study by the European Parliament. And 30% of respondents believe it is acceptable to monitor a partner without their consent in certain situations, such as suspicion of infidelity, security concerns or suspicion of criminal activity.

Promotional Strategies for Spy Apps

Many of these apps are advertised as secret phone monitoring tools. They often hide their icons or disguise themselves as other apps on the victim’s device.

While the apps are mainly used by lovers and spouses who spy on each other, many websites promoting their apps claim that they are primarily intended for parents who want to keep track of how their children use their phone or where they are.

This is because in most countries it is illegal to install apps on someone else’s phone without their consent. However, the rules are different for underage children. Parents, as owners of the device, can install apps on their child’s phone without their consent. By marketing their apps in this way, developers are trying to distance themselves from the illegal use of their products.

Another tactic used by spy apps to stay legal is to claim that users must obey the law, and may even be required to confirm that they have permission to install the app by filling out a form. However, this often contradicts their marketing, which promotes the app as undetectable and secret.

How and why people use spy apps

They need this marketing because these apps are involved in crimes such as child pornography, identity fraud, blackmail, domestic violence (including abuse of partners, children and parents), and human trafficking. In some cases, spy apps have been linked to serious violence, including murder.

People spy on their partners for a variety of reasons, including gathering evidence of infidelity, testing a partner’s loyalty, and trying to understand changes in their partner’s behavior. Some also monitor their partner’s device data and accounts to track their activities.

Signs Your Phone Might Be Being Monitored

There is a risk that your phone will be monitored if someone else has had access to it, you have received the device from someone else, or you have left your phone unattended with someone, even if you think that person does not know your password.

These apps are designed to blend in with normal device functions, often advertised as undetectable. They may appear under different names in the app list; for example, one app is listed as “iPhoneInternalService” on iPhones and “Update Service” on Android devices. Some apps disguise themselves as games or calculators.

To detect spy apps on your phone, look for the following signs:

• Extremely high bills.
• Problems shutting down.
• Less storage space.
• Battery discharges faster.
• Overheating.
• Increased mobile data usage.
• Messages are read or opened without your knowledge.

You can investigate the matter further by following these steps:

• Check your browser history or App Store/Google Play for search terms you are unfamiliar with.
• Check if settings have changed, especially if legitimate apps have unusual permissions.
• Identify unknown applications among processes on your Android device.
• Make sure the built-in Play Protect security tool is not disabled on your Android device.

Steps to secure your phone

You can take preventative measures to secure your phone, such as monitoring who has access to your device. Other steps include:

• Set up facial recognition or fingerprint to prevent unauthorized access.
• Track which apps have access to your camera or GPS tracking and limit those permissions to a few essential apps.
• Using apps designed to detect spyware. Be careful, as installing an anti-spyware app can notify the person who put it on your device. There are specialized solutions available that can detect spyware apps without notifying the person behind them.
• Using iOS Lockdown Mode to Stop Spying Apps.

Security measures in crimes related to spyware applications

If you discover a spy app on your device, avoid immediately deleting or restricting access to it. This can alert the person spying on you, potentially putting you at risk. They may resort to other forms of control or even become aggressive.

Police may use snail mail and meet with victims in known, neutral locations, such as their workplace or a local grocery store. During the meetings, they may place the victim’s phone in a Faraday bag. This is a specialized bag made of conductive materials, such as metal mesh, that creates a shield that prevents electromagnetic fields from entering or leaving the bag, thereby blocking all wireless signals, such as GPS and Wi-Fi, and making the device appear temporarily disabled to anyone trying to spy on it. This allows for quick examination of the phone, using spy apps as evidence in a potential lawsuit.