Reading our text messages, those from social networks and applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram, tracking our location, accessing photos or listening to calls or video calls… are some of the functions of spying and surveillance applications. FlexiSpy, MobileTracker, mSpy, Cocospu or Cerberus are some of the best known. More than 32,000 people around the world have suffered this harassment.
These softwares, known as stalkerware, can be installed without our consent on our computer, smartphone or tablet with the aim of continuously monitoring and controlling us. A report prepared by the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky places Spain in the sixth position of the countries most affected by this practice in Europe. In our country, 19% of those surveyed claimed to have been harassed through the use of these technologies.
Access to these tools is simple and even free, and you can find countless articles and videos on the internet explaining how they work. In all these publications it is ensured that “they are the definitive solution to find out if your partner is cheating on you”, or a way “to save money from a private detective”, but what many do not realize is that it is a crime against privacy contained in article 197 of the Criminal Code and that can lead to from fines to prison sentences. Moreover, taking advantage of the fact that our partner has left their mobile phone on the table without blocking it to read their WhatsApp messages and conversations is also considered a crime.
Spying is a crime against privacy included in the Penal Code
“Much of society is unaware that this type of practice is a crime. But it is that, in addition, a spy program allows us to know and receive all the information of our victim 24 hours a day, ”says Encarni Iglesias Pereira, president of the association Stop Digital Gender Violence and director of the Digital Violence Observatory. Iglesias warns that what many describe as a harmless practice is a serious infraction that, in addition to being an invasion of privacy, is a practice of constant harassment that can become a lethal tool capable of sinking a person completely. life.
Social networks
The expert recommends that, if we suspect that we are being spied on, we go to the police and report it. However, she recognizes that many times, although we think that we may be victims of this crime, it is not always the case. “People are also unaware that every piece of information they post on social networks can reach their partner or ex-partner, even if we don’t publish it ourselves, if they tag us we are giving data on where we have been, with whom… There is a lot of lack of digital education”, he affirms.
More than 32,000 people around the world have been affected by cyberbullying
So, how to know if a spy application has been installed on our mobile without our consent? “That the battery runs out much faster, that even having deactivated the geolocation we realize that it is activated or if the device heats up more than necessary can be a clue to it,” says Miguel Recio, professor of cybersecurity at the CEU San Pablo University. In any case, if we do not want to become victims of stalkerware“the safest thing is not to lose control over our mobile and protect it with a password and double authentication factor”, recommends Recio.
How to combat cyber espionage
Passwords. Using a fingerprint or biometric password is often more secure than an unlock pattern or numeric code. In any case, it is convenient to change them periodically and use various forms of authentication, including double patterns. The more difficult it is for someone to access our device, the more difficult it will be for them to install an application without our consent.
Applications. Minimizing the number of applications and having them controlled and organized will make it more difficult for a new application to go unnoticed. Many of the spyware are disguised as games or system tools to go unnoticed. In addition, some can remain totally hidden from the naked eye. For this reason, it is advisable to periodically review the list of downloads and installed programs.
virus. There are already several antiviruses that actively detect the stalkerware. Kaspersky, for example, has developed TinyCheck, a free and open source tool to make it easy, fast and non-invasive to detect stalkerware on a victim’s device. It can run on any operating system without the attacker noticing. Another option is VirusTotal Mobile, a completely free solution that works on Android phones and promises the combined power of more than 70 antivirus engines.
