The Number Of Users Encountering Stalkerware Increase 35% Globally

According to a recent Kaspersky report, the number of users who have come across at least one attempt to install stalkerware worldwide has exceeded 37,000 in just the first 8 months of this year. That is a 35% increase in comparison with the statistic from that same period last year. However, this trend has been decreasing in India.

Kaspersky report

Kaspersky APAC's  Security Researcher Saurabh Sharma has delivered a statement on the matter. According to the statement, even though the number of users encountering a stalkerware have jumped up 35% this year, in India, that number has dropped 67%. The figure shows the right direction in which the country is progressing.

Notice: stalkerware is monitoring spyware or software which could be used for stalking purposes. The term was created when people began to widely use them to spy on their intimate partners or spouses.

Stalkerware

Stalkerware's threat landscape has widened a lot, as Kaspersky's researchers have discovered over 380 stalkerware variants in this year. That is a 31% increase from last year. It is a hint that users could become this spyware's victims. And hackers could access and hold their personal data for ransom.

By utilizing stalkerware programs, a hacker/abuser could access their target's camera & audio recordings, geolocation, social media, photographs, and messages. In certain cases, that could even be done in real-time.

This dangerous kind of stalking software would usually run in the background hiddenly, without the consent or knowledge of the target. The developers of these programs often promoted them as software to monitor your partners.

Continue to fight

Saurabh Sharma from Kaspersky said that the company has been making a lot of efforts to increase the capabilities of its products in terms of stalkerware detection. And it will continue to do so alongside other players in the industry in this fight against the abusers/hackers.