How to check if your phone has stalkerware on it

Joe Goldberg from Netflix’s popular You series is not the only one who uses stalkerware to keep track of his victim’s movements and thoughts.

According to Kaspersky, a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company, 29 312 people worldwide were affected by stalkerware in 2022.

Although Joe has made viewers’ hearts beat faster since the show first aired in 2018, the romanticisation of his behaviour raises serious issues about the unacceptable problem of stalking – both online and offline – in our society.

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How to check for stalkerware

Christina Jankowski, Senior External Relations Manager at Kaspersky said it is important that we do not romanticise the behaviour as seen in You, but instead denounce it for what it is: stalking.

“Regardless of whether it is happening online or digitally stalking and stalkerware is a form of violence.”

In an effort to gain a better understanding of stalkerware, Kaspersky is sharing insights with the global cyber community and aiding organisations in the fight against digital stalking, Jankowski said in a statement on Wednesday.

Coalition Against Stalkerware

Kaspersky has been working alongside nine other companies and organisations since 2019, and founded the Coalition Against Stalkerware, which today counts more than 40 members worldwide.

The Coalition’s mission is to improve the detection of stalkerware, combat domestic violence, promote knowledge sharing among non-profit organisations and companies, and raise public awareness about the problem.

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“Stalking is a criminal, traumatic, and dangerous offence. Yet movies, TV, and music consistently present stalking as desirable, cute, sexy, and/or flattering – but in real life, it’s unwanted, terrifying, and illegal,” said Karen Bentley, CEO at WESNET, which forms part of the Specialist Women’s Domestic and Family Violence Services in Australia.

Do know have stalkerware on your devices?

Kaspersky has developed the free open-source tool, TinyCheck, which enables the detection of stalkerware in a simple, fast and non-invasive way on an affected device without alerting the perpetrator.

TinyCheck is secure in its use by helping organisations and it does not read the contents of an individual’s communications (such as SMS or emails). It only interacts with the online servers/IPs connected to the smart device.

TinyCheck does not know who an individual is communicating with or what is being said, and the network record of the analysed device is not shared with neither Kaspersky nor do third parties receive this data. All analysis is carried out locally.

What to do next:

If you suspect that you are a victim of stalkerware, reach out to a local support organisation.

To find one close to you, check the Coalition Against Stalkerware website www.stopstalkerware.org.

Stop Stalkerware also shared the following helpful information for victims to better recognise the warning signs.

It also recommends further steps and behaviours to take or avoid.

WATCH: Helpful stalkerware guide

Kaspersky also has the following tips if you discover stalkerware on your devices:

• Don’t try to erase the stalkerware, change any settings or tamper with your phone. This may alert your potential perpetrator and lead to an escalation of the situation. You also risk erasing important data or evidence that could be used in a prosecution.

• Keep an eye out for warning signs including fast-draining battery due to unknown or suspicious apps using up its charge and newly-installed applications with suspicious access to use and track your location or with otherwise not logically explicable functions; inexplicable detailed knowledge of third parties.

• Check if your “unknown sources” setting is enabled, as this may be a sign that unwanted software has been installed from a third-party source. It is important to note that the above signs are only symptoms of possible stalkerware installation, not a definitive indication.

• Use a proven cybersecurity solution such as Kaspersky Free on Android. However, if there is a suspicion that a stalkerware is already running on the smartphone, this should only be done after a risk assessment of the person concerned – preferably together with a support organisation – otherwise the perpetrator might notice the newly deployed cybersecurity solution.

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Compiled by Xanet Scheepers