mobile spyware
Spyware makers are reportedly working on targeting individuals with stealthy data-stealing malware using online banner ads.
Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 countries on Wednesday, warning them that they may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. The company said it sent the…
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Hackers uncover new TheTruthSpy stalkerware victims: Is your Android device compromised?
A consumer-grade spyware operation called TheTruthSpy poses an ongoing security and privacy risk to thousands of people whose Android devices are unknowingly compromised with its mobile surveillance apps, not least due to a simple security flaw that its operators never fixed. Now, two hacking groups have independently found the flaw…
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Stalkerware apps PhoneSpector and Highster appear shut down after NY settlement
The makers of two phone surveillance services appear to have shuttered after the owner agreed to settle state accusations of illegally promoting spyware that his companies developed. PhoneSpector and Highster were consumer-grade phone monitoring apps that facilitated the covert surveillance of a person’s smartphone. Commonly dubbed stalkerware (or spouseware), these…
Apple releases security updates for iOS, iPadOS and macOS, fixing two actively exploited zero-days
Apple has released security updates for iPhones, iPads and Macs to patch against two vulnerabilities, which the company says are being actively exploited to hack people. The technology giant rolled…
A short-lived spyware operation called Oospy, which emerged earlier this year after its predecessor Spyhide was hacked, is no longer operational and has shut down. Oospy appeared online in late…
Microsoft has released patches to fix zero-day vulnerabilities in two popular open source libraries that affect several Microsoft products, including Skype, Teams and its Edge browser. But Microsoft won’t say…
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Yes, you have to update your Apple devices again, because spyware is bad
Apple has released urgent security updates for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch, and Safari users to block two active spyware campaigns.
Apple’s long-awaited iOS 17 update for iPhones lands today with a number of new and improved security features. Many of the new features are aimed at protecting iPhone owners who…
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A Brazilian phone spyware was hacked and victims’ devices ‘deleted’ from server
A Portuguese-language spyware called WebDetetive has been used to compromise more than 76,000 Android phones in recent years across South America, largely in Brazil. WebDetetive is also the latest phone spyware company in recent months to have been hacked. In an undated note seen by TechCrunch, the unnamed hackers described…
Poland-based spyware LetMeSpy is no longer operational and said it will shut down after a June data breach wiped out its servers, including its huge trove of data stolen from…
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Spyhide stalkerware is spying on tens of thousands of phones
A phone surveillance app called Spyhide is stealthily collecting private phone data from tens of thousands of Android devices around the world, new data shows. Spyhide is a widely used stalkerware (or spouseware) app that is planted on a victim’s phone, often by someone with knowledge of their passcode. The…
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Fake passports, real bank accounts: How TheTruthSpy stalkerware made its millions
A network of fake sellers, created with forged documents, allowed a global phone surveillance ring to operate under the radar for years.
The U.S. government put Intellexa and Cytrox, two European spyware makers, on an economic denylist on Tuesday. The addition of the two companies, based in Greece and Hungary, as well…
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LetMeSpy, a phone tracking app spying on thousands, says it was hacked
A hacker has stolen the messages, call logs and locations intercepted by a widely used phone monitoring app called LetMeSpy, according to the company that makes the spyware. The phone monitoring app, which is used to spy on thousands of people using Android phones around the world, said in a…
A few months ago we introduced you to the brand new Security Stage, our debut space dedicated to cybersecurity at TechCrunch Disrupt. Ahead of the big day, we’re excited to…
A popular Android app began secretly spying on its users months after it was listed on Google Play
A cybersecurity firm says a popular Android screen recording app that racked up tens of thousands of downloads on Google’s app store subsequently began spying on its users, including by…
The Biden administration on Monday announced a new executive order that would broadly ban U.S. federal agencies from using commercially developed spyware that poses threats to human rights and national…
A New York-based spyware maker has agreed to notify the individuals whose phones were compromised by its mobile surveillance software, following a deal with the New York attorney general’s office…
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Xnspy stalkerware spied on thousands of iPhones and Android devices
A little-known phone monitoring app called Xnspy has stolen data from tens of thousands of iPhones and Android devices, the majority whose owners are unaware that their data has been compromised. Xnspy is one of many so-called stalkerware apps sold under the guise of allowing a parent to monitor their…
Google says it has evidence that a commercial surveillance vendor was exploiting three zero-day security vulnerabilities found in newer Samsung smartphones. The vulnerabilities, discovered in Samsung’s custom-built software, were used…
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Inside TheTruthSpy, the stalkerware network spying on thousands
Leaked data, obtained by TechCrunch, reveals the notorious network of Android spyware apps tracked locations and recorded calls of Americans.
