Does your partner know where you went and with whom you went last night? Even though you said nothing to them. Some specific conversations which you had with your friend or a member of your family, but your partner is also aware of it? If you are curious about how they know this, then the answer might be a stalkerware application.

According to the Stalking Reduction Awareness & Resource Center, two million Americans face harassment via technology every year. The term "stalkerware" describes malicious software used to discreetly spy on someone's smartphone while remaining disguised posing as a somewhat common app, such as a calendar app.

Keylogging, phone recordings, video and photo accessibility, social media surveillance, and remote access of a phone's camera are just a few of the functions available in this increasing collection of apps. Surreptitious position tracking using device GPS data is the most typical usage of stalkerware.

What are stalkerware apps?

Stalkerware is a software used by abusers to follow and monitor their victims. Typically, they install these apps without the victim's knowledge or agreement. The apps make the victims believe that nothing is wrong. As a result, abusers can continue to track their victims without them noticing.

Stalkerware apps serve a variety of purposes but are not all created equal. Abusers use these apps for the following purposes:

• Real-time tracking of the victim's whereabouts

• Obtaining access to the victim's phone records

• Reading the messages left by the victim

• Taking screenshots and forwarding them to the person who is abusing you

• Using the victim's device's camera to observe their surrounding environments

• Hearing to the subject along through microphone on their device

Why people use this type of app?

Various categories of abusers employ stalkerware applications. This person could be the victim's partner, parent, family member, acquaintance, or coworker. Jealousy, overprotection, control, abuse, and, as the term implies, stalking are all motivations for using these applications. Someone with physical access to the victim's device can install these apps. This distinguishes these applications from other malwares.

Stalkerware is frequently used to eavesdrop on an intimate partner in abusive relationships, which can exacerbate domestic violence. The issue is widespread. Fifty percent of victims say that abusers use phone applications to stalk their spouses, according to the National Organization to End Domestic Violence. Furthermore, to the invasions of privacy inherent in the software's installation, the organizations that create these apps frequently have weak cybersecurity policies, which has resulted in data leaks exposing private phone information about people who were uninformed that someone was monitoring their data in the first place.

Despite the fact that stalkerware allows for privacy invasion and abuse, the government has been silent on the design and usage of such apps. It is illegal to sell monitoring software “primarily” designed to record personal discussions under federal wiretapping regulations; nonetheless, many of these spying apps present oneself as authorized services for checking children's internet usage or employees' use of work gadgets. This declared intention helps developers to deny that non-consensual surveillance is their "main" goal.

How do stalkerware apps monitor your phone devices?          

Because it can track many things on your smartphone, like videos and images you capture, sites you access, text messages you write and obtain, your call logs, and your whereabouts, smartphone spyware can be particularly intrusive and hazardous for victims.

Spyware planted on rooted (for Android), or jailbroken (for iPhone) devices can activate the webcam or microphone, take a screenshot, monitor activities on third-party apps (such as Instagram or WhatsApp), and overhear, transmit, or record phone calls. Rooting or jailbreaking a device lets people circumvent computer system and phone manufacturer's protections. 

All smartphone stalkerware requires physically accessibility to the device in order to install it. It runs in stealthy mode, with no notification or distinguishing activities, and is hard to detect or uninstall once installed. The individual attacking you can log into a site or application on a separate device to gain access to your phone’s activity.

How to check stalkerware in your phone?

Thankfully, there are still ways to find out if a stalkerware exists on your device. This is because often, such a software is nothing more than just another app installed on your computer. Let us go through some of the ways that you can detect stalkerware.

Checking App Permission

Examine the permissions you have given to apps in your phone's settings. Stalkerware programs often have a lot of permissions. While having a lot of permissions does not necessarily make an application stalkerware, you can discover that unauthorized apps have authorization to access your camera, call logs, or something else questionable. 

Scan Unfamiliar Apps

On an iPhone, the simplest way to look for stalkerware is to seek for unfamiliar apps. Go to Settings and slide to the bottom to get a complete list of installed applications on your device. You may see a list of an app's permissions by tapping on it. If you are not sure why an app is on your device or if you do not recall installing it, it is an indication that something is not quite right. As needed, follow Apple's app uninstallation instructions.

Checking Device Configuration

Go to Setting > General > Profiles & Device Management on your iPhone to see if MDM configuration profiles are available. If you do not see anything there, that means your device does not have a mobile configuration profile installed. If your iPhone has an unfamiliar configuration profile, press it to get the option to remove it.

Check WIFI Sync

Some iOS stalkerware takes advantage of an iPhone function known as iTunes Wi-Fi Sync. An attacker can program an iOS device to back up to a device on the same Wi-Fi networks — in this case, a machine running a PC stalkerware app. If a stalker has direct access to the computer, they can see the iPhone backups. Alternatively, because the tool uploads copy of the backups to the stalkerware company's servers, an abuser can see them remotely via the internet. Go over to Setting > General and search for iTunes Wi-Fi Syncing to see whether you have any stalkerware. Your iPhone is not set up to sync with some other devices over a Wi-Fi connection if you do not see anything.

Search if someone has jailbroken your phone

Search for the applications Cydia or Sileo to see if someone has jailbroken your phone. These are the most popular programs for jailbreaking iPhones and installing unauthorized applications (i.e., software that is not available in the App Store). Not all unauthorized apps are malicious, and the jailbreak group is more concerned with researching and customization than with spying on people.

However, criminal actors can install a stalkerware program on a jailbroken iOS device, bypassing the App Store's restrictions. To "un-jailbreak" an iPhone, you must either upgrade iOS to the most recent version or do a complete factory reset. Do your fair share of research though, because “un-jailbreaking” can cause your iPhone to malfunction and stop working.

How to avoid monitoring of stalkerware apps?

First and foremost, as previously stated, take security precautions. Consider retaining proof of the stalkerware in case legal action is necessary. There are two methods for removing stalkerware on your computer: Use antivirus applications to detect and remove stalkerware or reset the phone to factory settings. You must back up your important data using this method because the factory reset would erase the problematic app and all of your information with it.

The benefit of using the factory reset technique is that you do not have to know if you have stalkerware. But some stalkerware applications do stay with you even after a factory rest.

Consider limiting access

If anybody updates or fixes something on your phone, be wary, and follow your gut if you are not sure. Consider whether extra monitoring or stalking occurred when someone did have access. If an abuser offers you or your kids a new phone or tablet, be wary.

Lock Your Phone

Most malware require physical access to a phone to install, so you can set a password lock on it (and do not share it) to reduce the chances of someone stalling malware. You can choose from a number, pattern, fingerprint, or other security measures on many gadgets.

Do not install applications from outside the official apps store

This is common on Android where you can send app installation files to each other through WhatsApp as well as other sources. If someone has sent you an APK file on an Android device, you should not be installing it unless you absolutely trust the other person.

Stay safe online with Turbo VPN

Someone who wants to monitor your online activity can also do so through your Internet connection. Determined stalkers and other individuals can find out what websites you are using from your computer. They can even use this information against you. And potentially intercept other communications.

You can use Turbo VPN to ensure that your online activity is secure and safe from prying eyes. Including the people that you live with. If you need to safely seek help and support, then using a VPN service is the recommended way of doing so. There are more tips for you to protect your online security.