Stalkerware is technically software with malicious intent, but security professionals should treat it as a different beast from other malware.
Stalkerware is an app or apps that someone else can install on your device to intercept text messages and phone calls, send call logs, record web browsing activity and keystrokes and even access your location. And stalkerware — a tool often associated with abuse and domestic violence — can be a risk to enterprise data and security in general. Given the difficult nature of detecting stalkerware, and the risk of retaliation by abusers, what can an employer do to protect their employees as well as their company’s data?
How is Stalkerware Unique?
Stalkerware isn’t usually thought of as a major risk to an enterprise. However, it is considered a major threat because it can extract sensitive data from an individual or an enterprise without their consent or knowledge. Plus, anyone with access to commercially available spyware can partake in stalkerware activities.
Stalkerware isn’t as clearly defined as other traditional forms of malware, such as phishing, and, it is difficult to detect. Confusion over the legality of stalkerware has also made it difficult to prosecute, partially because there is no steadfast, legitimate way to obtain forensic evidence that it is happening. Abuse and harassment are hazier from a legal perspective, and what counts as breaking the law can differ from one jurisdiction to the next. Proving harm based on these in a court of law can be a much more difficult task than provin ..
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