Security News > 2020 > February > Stalkerware Attacks Increased 50 Percent Last Year, Report

The number of stalkerware attacks on mobile devices increased 50 percent over the last year, showing an upward and continued trend in the emerging threat, researchers said.

"Attacks involving the use of mobile stalkerware became more frequent, the purpose being to monitor and collect information about the victim," Victor Chebyshev, a research development team lead at Kaspersky, wrote in a post on the company's SecureList blog outlining trends in mobile malware in 2019.At the same time, stalkerware-a threat that appeared on security researchers' radar in only the last couple of years-also began to show signs of " keeping pace with its malware cousins" in terms of sophistication, he said.

Researchers have had some difficulty in the past defining stalkerware because the software used in these types of attacks typically varies between surreptitious spyware, available on illicit online markets, and more legitimate applications that can be obtained through app stores such as Google Play.

While the Federal Trade Commission already has banned some commercial spyware apps from a company called Retina-X-MobileSpy, PhoneSheriff and TeenShield-others still exist that can be used in full-fledged stalkerware attacks.

He advised device users to remain vigilante of what apps are installed on their devices and take off any apps that are no longer needed to prevent falling victim to stalkerware attacks.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/stalkerware-attacks-increased-50-percent/153248/