‘Rare’ stalkerware emerges with targets around the world
An app that’s marketed as a solution to keep children safe online includes such aggressive functionality that cybersecurity researchers warn it’s possible for stalkers to monitor victims in a way that is “almost impossible to detect.” Researchers from Kaspersky Lab on Monday explained that the “MonitorMinor” app bypasses so many controls meant to protect user information that it qualifies as stalkerware. The term “Stalkerware” refers to a malicious class of software that quietly runs in the background on users’ phones, transmitting their location, messaging, and other data to outsiders. MonitorMinor, for instance, makes it possible for abusers to access victims’ social media information, SMS messages, and location. MonitorMinor essentially bypasses normal controls, such as Discretionary Access Control, meant to keep outsiders from accessing messaging app data by gaining root access to a mobile system, according to Victor Chebyshev, a researcher at Kaspersky. As a result, attackers can escalate their privileges to […]
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