One of the most widely used stalkerware apps is considered “ridden” with security holes and risks exposing victims’ data to third parties, experts have warned.
Xnspy allows users to spy on the activities of their spouse, partner or children after installing it secretly on a victim’s device, and then it runs secretly in the background while sending data back to the installer.
a survey technology crisis (opens in a new tab) It was found that on top of the already more problems and legal issues posed by tools like Xnspy, its underlying technology leaves users highly vulnerable to data security issues like identity theft.
What did the researchers find?
After months of research, security researchers Vangelis Stykas and Felipe Solferini claim that the app has a number of flaws that are “easily exploitable” and “likely have existed for years.”
The flaws reportedly include “credentials and private keys left in the code by developers” and “broken or non-existent encryption.”
According to the research, the app primarily targets Android users — though it also reported thousands of iPhones being compromised.
Xnspy has reportedly had 60,000 victims as early as 2022, technology crisis claims, the most recent recorded instance is 2022.
Although Google banned the sale of tracking software from its app store in August 2020 and subsequently removed all ads that appeared on its platform, it’s unlikely we’ll see the last of the controversial technology.
The pandemic has led to a huge increase in the number of people who have decided to use stalkerware tools.
According to reports, the use of stalker and spyware apps in the UK increased by 93% directly after the lockdown was first introduced, if research by cybersecurity firm Avast is to be believed.