Hacked, leaked, exposed: Why you should never use stalkerware apps

There is an entire shady industry for people who want to control and spy on their families. Multiple App Makers introduces and advertising – is often named Stalkerware – Jealous partners who can use these applications to access victims on their phones.

However, despite the sensitive information of this individual information, the number of companies loses a large amount.

Thanks to TECHCRUNCH’s Tally Exposure to the latest data from CatwatchfulThere are at least 26 Stalker programs known since 2017 or are known to online clients and victims online. This is not Tipo: At least 26 Stalkerware company was either hacked or has been significantly exposed in recent years. And four Stalkerware company has been hacked many times.

Catwatchful, this year this year is the latest Stalkerware provider that user data has been reported in connection with the return since 2018. The return indicates that the data has broken off 26,000 victims in the moment of spilling.

Catwatchful information is coming to leak Spyx violation of this year’s informationand exposure to data Cocospy, spyand Spyzie According to a security researcher who finds an error that allows you to access this information, messages, images, call notes and observation operations that release other personal and sensitive information from millions of victims.

Before this year, in 2024 there were at least four mass stalker programs. In 2024 the last Stalkerware was broken Spytech, a little-known spy software manufacturer located in MinnesotaOperating records of telephones, tablets and computers watched with a spy program. Earlier, MSPY had a violation that was one of the longest working stalker programs exposed Millions Customer Support Ticketswhich includes millions of customers’ personal information.

A unknown hacker before US-based Stalkerware Maker entered PCTattletale servers. The hacker then stole and leaked the company’s internal data. They also went to the official website of PCTattletale to embarrass the company. Hacker referred to a TechCrunch article we recently reported PctattletLleale was used to watch several front desk registration computers In the US hotel chain.

As a result of this hack, leak and embarrassment, PCTattletale founder Bryan flaming that she has attached his company.

Consumer spy programs like Catwatchful, Spyx, CocoSpy, MSpy and PTTAttale are generally called “Stalkerware” (or Spuseware), because of the jealous spouses and partners use them to follow and explore.

These companies are openly written as solutions to capture their products by promoting their products illegal and non-ethical behavior. Had More than one trial, Media research and Surveys of internal maintenance shelters This indicates that online stalking and monitoring can lead to real-world damage and violence.

This is why the hackers have repeatedly targeted companies.

The Stalkerware industry, which fights the Eva Galperin, Stalkerware and Steering Program, which is a leading researcher and researcher and researcher and researcher, said that the Stalkerware industry is “soft target”.

“People who manage these companies are probably not the most important or are not worried about the quality of the product,” said Galper’s Techcrunch.

Given the history of Stalkerware compromises, it can be a frantic. And because of the lack of care to protect their customers – and the personal information of tens of thousands of nonsense victims – the use of these applications is double irresponsible. Stalkerware clients violating the law, spying on their partners illegally, jeopardizing everyone’s information and abuse their partners.

Stalkerware Hack History

Stalkerware violations began in 2017 a group of hackers Restrained the Rethina-X based on the US and Thai Based Flexispy Back back. All of these two Hacks companies have shown that the total number of companies has 130,000 customers around the world.

At that time, proudly – proudly – proudly, obvious expressions of concessions, and hopefully helped to destroy an industry that is not toxic and unethical.

“I will let them go to the ground and leave anywhere else to hide any of them,” he said, “he said.

Referring to Flexispy, it will fall as a company and fails as a company and feel what they do and feel themselves in a new form.

Despite the attention of hack and negative community for years, the flexispy is still active today. The same cannot be talked about Retina-X.

Hacker, who entered Retina-X, deleted their servers to prevent their operations. The company retreated – Then he attacked again a year later. A few weeks after the second violation, Retina-X announced that it is blocked.

After a few days after the second retina-x violation, Hackers Mobistealth and Spy Master Pro HitSteal gigabytes of customer and business records, as well as the messages of the victims and the exact GPS locations. Another Stalkerware seller, Spyhuman based on IndiaA few months later, he encountered the same fate, and encountered the hackers who stole text messages with the logs of whom and when they call metadata.

After the week, it was not a hack, and the incident of exposure to random information.

Spyfone remained online not protected by the Amazon-Hosted S3 WarehouseSomeone means anything that does not know that anyone can see text messages, photos, sound recordings, contact, spatial data, scrap passwords and access information, Facebook messages and more. All this information was stolen from victims, most of them do not know that they did not know that they are not spying and not on the Internet to see the most sensitive personal information.

Catwatchful, except for years of other Stalkerware companies, enters information from irresponsible customers and victims. only protected by an easy passwordOpen mspy, More than 2 million customer records leaked In 2018; Xnore, this If any customers see personal information of other customers’ goalsIncluding chat messages, GPS coordinates, emails, pictures and more; 25,000 audio writing and mobiispy leaving 95,000 pictures On a server accessible to everyone. The list continues: KidsGuard in 2020 a Incorrect combined server leaking the content of victimsPCTattleLale before open hack Screenshots exposed to the devices of victims were loaded in real time to a website where someone can enter; and xnspy with developers Left credentials and special buttons remaining in the application codeSomeone allows victims to access information; and Spyzie, Cocospy and SpyicThose who leave the messages, images, call recordings and other personal information, as well as the email addresses of customers online.

In fact, until the hacked other Stalkerware companies, else Spyx this year agosaw, there were Copy 9 A hacker steals data of all control targetsincluding text messages and whatsapp messages, call records, photos, contacts and eyebrow dates; Letmespy, Hackers are closed after breaking and deleting their serversWebDetetive based on open Brazil, Servers also deletedand Then he was broken againThe owner, hacked, which provides a lot of background program for open webdetetetive; Spyhide with a weakness in the code Allowed a hacker to enter the back database and years of stolen around the data of 60,000 victims; Oospy, Spyhide was a rebrand, closed for the second time; and the latest MSpy hack associated with previous leakage.

Finally, it’s TheTruthSpy, a Stalker Programs NetworkSaving the suspect record with at least hacked or leaking data triple aside case.

Hacked, but without charge

These 26 Stalkerware company, eight of TechCrunch’s tally closed.

First and in a unique situation so far, the Federal Trade Commission Scott Zuckerman is forbidden Spyfone and its CEOWithout acting in the control industry after a security desire to expose the information of the victims. Another stalker program associated with Zuckerman named Spytrac, It was later closed After the TechCrunch investigation.

TelephonesPector and Highster, the other two companies that are not known to hack, Also close After the head of the New York’s lawyer, companies have obviously accused customers to promote their programs for illegal control.

However, a company does not mean that the closure is going forever. As in Spyhide and Spyfone, the same owners behind a charged Stalkerware manufacturer are simply rebranded.

“I think these hacks do things. They do things, they put them a tooth,” Galperin said. “However, a Stalkerware company will simply shake their fists, they will curse your name, disappear from the blue smoke, and it will not be seen again.

“Whenever you are able to kill a StalkerWare company, Stalkerware company comes like mushrooms after the rain,” Galperin said.

There are some good news. Last year, a report said that Malwarebytes was a security company in the security company The use of stalkerware is decliningAccording to customers infected with this type of program. In addition, Galperin does not work as intended, with the increase in negative feedback, customers or promising customers of these applications.

However, Galperin, security companies are stolen, the Stalker program is found or from the supervisor based on the stalkers program, they have taken effective physical control by airtags and other Bluetooth effective followers.

“Stalkerware is not in a vacuum. Stalkerware is part of the world of technological effective abuse,” said Galperin.

Say NO to Stalkerware

The use of a spy program to watch your loved ones is not only ethical, but also is illegal in most jurisdictions because it is considered illegal control.

This is an important reason not to use the Stalker program anymore. Then there is no matter whether Stalk Trainer manufacturers cannot provide information and time security – nor the information about customers or their victims and goals.

In addition to spying on romantic partners and spies, some people use Stalkerware applications to watch their children. The type of use of this type, at least in the United States, it is legal, this is not to use your phone’s snoop on your phone and not ethical.

Even if it is used in a dazical way, Galperin should not spy on parents and without their consent.

Parents inform their children and continue, parents must be away from invalid and invalid Stalker programs and use parental tracking tools Apple phones and tablets and Android devices This is more reliable and excessive.

Repetition of violations and leaks

A complete list of Stalkerware companies with hacked or sensitive information since 2017, in chronological order:

First, it was first published on July 16, 2024 and was updated so far and was updated to have the security issue as the latest Stalkerware application.

---

If you or someone need help you, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) provides confidential support for the victims of free, household operation and violence. If you are in an emergency, call 911. The one Coalition against Stalkerware If you think your phone is compromised with a spy program you have resources.