One of the widely used Stalkerware apps is said to be exposed to different threats that steal the users' data and give them to third parties. The name of this Stalkerware app is Xnspy which is used to stalk the mobile activities of children, partners, or some other person. This app runs in the background of the device after the user secretly installs it on the device and then monitors the activities.
TechCrunch said that not only do apps like Xnspy are legally and socially wrong to use, but their faulty system exposes the data of the person with the device that has the app installed, and this results in identity theft. Many researchers started researching this issue and it was concluded that Xnspy has many flaws which must have been present in the app for many years, but have been exposed just now.
One of the problems with this app was its app code. Security researchers say that many private and credentials keys are present in the code of Xnspy and that's the reason the app is unsafe to use because it can easily get to the personal information on the device. The encryption code is also disrupted, and it feels like it doesn't even exist in the first place. Even if it did, it has broken now so everything can easily get exposed. The initial report says that the targets of this app are Android users but it doesn't mean that iPhone users also haven't fallen victim to it. TechCrunch says that till now about 60,000 users are victims to this app and most of these cases are from 2022 alone. This means many people have started using stalkerware apps in recent years.
Google has restricted any stalkerware apps from Play Store and no ads about them can be seen on all of its platforms. But many people are still using stalkerware apps to monitor the activities of other people. The rise in the download of stalkerware was seen in 2020 when the pandemic started. A 93% increase in the stalkerware apps was recorded after the pandemic in the UK. These apps can bring a lot of problems with data leaking and identity theft among many users that's why many authorities are working to ban the use of stalkerware apps, especially the ones which are not encrypted and safe.
Read next: Survey shows consumers agree to share location data if it’s beneficial for them or society
TechCrunch said that not only do apps like Xnspy are legally and socially wrong to use, but their faulty system exposes the data of the person with the device that has the app installed, and this results in identity theft. Many researchers started researching this issue and it was concluded that Xnspy has many flaws which must have been present in the app for many years, but have been exposed just now.
One of the problems with this app was its app code. Security researchers say that many private and credentials keys are present in the code of Xnspy and that's the reason the app is unsafe to use because it can easily get to the personal information on the device. The encryption code is also disrupted, and it feels like it doesn't even exist in the first place. Even if it did, it has broken now so everything can easily get exposed. The initial report says that the targets of this app are Android users but it doesn't mean that iPhone users also haven't fallen victim to it. TechCrunch says that till now about 60,000 users are victims to this app and most of these cases are from 2022 alone. This means many people have started using stalkerware apps in recent years.
Google has restricted any stalkerware apps from Play Store and no ads about them can be seen on all of its platforms. But many people are still using stalkerware apps to monitor the activities of other people. The rise in the download of stalkerware was seen in 2020 when the pandemic started. A 93% increase in the stalkerware apps was recorded after the pandemic in the UK. These apps can bring a lot of problems with data leaking and identity theft among many users that's why many authorities are working to ban the use of stalkerware apps, especially the ones which are not encrypted and safe.
Read next: Survey shows consumers agree to share location data if it’s beneficial for them or society
