Kaspersky announced
that it has joined other Coalition Against Stalkerware members to provide
police officers with knowledge to help them investigate digital stalking. Earlier
in the week, Kaspersky joined the U.S.-based National Network to End Domestic
Violence (NNEDV), Australia's national umbrella organization for domestic
violence services, Wesnet, and INTERPOL, to organize two online training
sessions addressing issues of digital stalking and domestic violence. The goal
of the online training, which involved more than 210 participants, is to
enhance capacity building within law enforcement agencies, support victims
requesting assistance, and hold perpetrators to account.
Stalkerware enables a perpetrator to secretly spy on another
person's private life via a mobile device. The software is commercially
available and provides access to an array of personal data, such as device
location, browser history, text messages, social media chats, photos and more.
Stalkerware is not only an issue of privacy invasion, but also a form of digital
and domestic violence.
"Stalking is a known risk associated with the increased
likelihood of lethal and near-lethal harm," said Karen Bentley, chief executive
officer, Wesnet. "Our research with Australian frontline family violence
workers found that tracking and monitoring of women by perpetrators had risen
244 percent between 2015 and 2020, and stalking is often via technological
means. It is one of the most common forms of abuse co-occurring with domestic
and family violence."
According to Kaspersky's State of
Stalkerware 2020 report, 53,870 mobile users worldwide were affected by
stalkerware in 2020. These numbers only include Kaspersky users, making the
total global numbers likely much higher. The Coalition Against Stalkerware -
co-founded by Kaspersky in 2019 and comprising today more than 40 active
organizations tackling the issue of stalkerware - estimates that usage of
stalkerware likely exceeds one million instances per year.
"Digital stalking is an issue known to the global law
enforcement community, but there is a need to enhance capabilities around how
to conduct investigations on stalkerware," said Pei Ling Lee, acting assistant
director of cyber strategy and capabilities development, INTERPOL. "The
software hides itself and investigations need to be undertaken carefully for
the safety of the victims. The online sessions organized together with
Kaspersky, NNEDV and Wesnet offered helpful advice for our member countries.
INTERPOL is committed to work continually with the Coalition Against
Stalkerware, to promote the training to the global law enforcement community
and to increase awareness of this problem."
In each of the online training sessions, Kaspersky experts
shared know-how from a technical perspective around what stalkerware is and its
installation methods. Law enforcement officers also learned about different
methods to detect stalkerware safely for a victim. An important element
included an introduction of how to work with TinyCheck, a free
anti-stalkerware tool that allows the user to scan any device for stalkerware
without making the perpetrator aware.
"We are glad to be working together with law enforcement
agencies to share our expertise on the stalkerware threat," said Noushin
Shabab, senior security researcher, Kaspersky. "However, knowledge of the
threat alone doesn't help tackle it. That's why we also give officers several
solutions, including TinyCheck - a helpful open source tool to safely detect
stalkerware when being confronted with a suspected case. Ideally, TinyCheck
will become a standard tool to help victim support and law enforcement agencies
alike to easily confirm whether stalkerware is installed on a device."
During the online training sessions, two NGOs working in the
field of domestic violence shared tips on how law enforcement officers can
better support victims who require assistance. The training concluded with
participants asking questions and sharing any feedback on the sessions.
"The misuse of technology as a tactic of abuse is incredibly
common," said Erica Olsen, director of Safety Net, National Network to End
Domestic Violence (NNEDV). "Keeping up with constantly evolving technology that
is being weaponized can be a challenge for law enforcement, advocates, and
survivors. It's important for professionals working with survivors to
understand the ways technology can be misused and how to support survivors.
Survivors should be empowered to learn how to increase their privacy and safety
with technology."
For users who suspect they may be affected or are being
impacted by stalkerware, Kaspersky has the following recommendations:
- Do
not rush to remove stalkerware if found on the device as the abuser may
notice. It is very important to consider that the abuser may be a
potential safety risk. In some cases, the person may escalate their
abusive behaviors in response.
- Contact local authorities and service organizations
supporting victims of domestic violence for assistance and safety
planning. A list of relevant organizations in several countries can be
found on www.stopstalkerware.org.
- Watch the Coalition's video on stalkerware and how to protect against it on
the homepage, available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and
Portuguese.
There is also a dedicated page for victims and survivors on stalkerware
detection, removal and prevention.
- Use
proven cybersecurity protection, such as Kaspersky Internet Security for
Android,
to run a check on your device and discover if stalkerware has been
installed on it.