Do I Have Stalkware on My Phone? Lapbtop? How to Debug Your Electronics
You can’t escape if they can track you.
(work in progress article)
“Over 200 stalking cases reported to the involved the use of tracking devices and technology hacking.”
→82% reported stalking via social media and smart phones
→52% reported stalking via email
→29% reported stalking via GPS
Note to myself: consolidate other related articles with this one/turn this into extensive article on topic
Some Signs your Devices (phone, labtop, smart watch, tablet) do:
- Does your abuser/Stalker, know intimate details of conversations with others?
- Do they always show up where you’re at?
- Does your phone act funny?
Signs your phone is bugged:
(I have copy and pasted this from keepersecurity.com, which has alot more information)
“-Your phone camera and mic turn on randomly
-You see unfamiliar apps or files on your phone
-Your phone is constantly overheating”
More Signs:
-Messages you didn’t send that were sent,
-video's/pictures (especially documenting abuse), get deleted.*
*How to Counter the Abuser’s Efforts
Have a trusted friend, co-worker or law enforcement officer,
take pictures and video on their phone before it gets deleted.
🛑 DO NOT: Call-Text-email this person, ever.
DO NOT: Send them documents/proof in this manner (have them take pics, video, or a sound recording app on their phone only)🛑
☢️ WHY?: The Stalkerware allows the abuser to see ALL calls, texts, emails, apps (and sometimes even sounds)
→If You Can’t Trust Anyone Else:
- *Use your burner phone (that you keep at work or an unknown storage facility) at work to take pictures of it
- Make sure the burner phone doesn’t have any of the same: apps, email providers, texts apps, or even Bluetooth connection.
- ☢️Never: email, text, bluetooth send, (or any other app), and so on, from the Stalkware phone, to the burner-evidence phone.
→Keep the burner TOTALLY Separate..
with exception of saving the pictures of abuse
(with manual picture taking or video).
This SEPERATE PHONE, will serve as Evidence later.
You can have all the technology in the world, but it won’t protect you from OPSEC mistakes,
These types of mistakes, May allow people to bypass all the money you spend on expensive apps you hope to protect you.
Here’s a few OPSEC mistakes we can easily make:
- Not having a passcode on our electronic devices
- Having one that’s easy to guess (most common passwords)
- Finger swipes codes on phone (easy to guess by the grease mark)
- Using finger prints or facial recognition (they can open it while you sleep)
- Using your email for multi factor security (but they have access to your email/know it’s password)
- Connnected home devices (smart watch, smart fridge, home security tools (cameras),
- Also your phone providers “family security and saftey features” (that monitors your devices GPS, calls and messages)
- and other devices that may all be sending eachother the same information, that your abuser can use to monitor you (fitbit, smart watch, wifi-blue blue tooth ear pieces)
- Not realizing we have a tracking devices on our car
- Note: A VPN doesn’t help with the above
For some basics, let’s go over some of the
How to Fix A Device with Stalkerware it?
Reboot phone on safe mode: The first thing you need to do if you have spyware on your phone is disconnect from the internet and reboot it on safe mode, which only uses the basic and essential programs needed to turn on your phone.
Rebooting your phone on safe mode cuts off any connection between the spyware and the cybercriminals.
Safe mode also allows you to restart your phone without any interference from the spyware.
Delete unfamiliar apps and files: After you have restarted your phone on safe mode, you need to audit the apps and files on your phone.
Look for apps and files you don’t remember downloading or look suspicious. After you have identified any malicious apps and files, delete them from your phone.
You should also clear your browser cache to remove any malicious websites.
Run antivirus software: Some spyware will look like legitimate apps and files that can be hard to detect by yourself.
To help you identify any hidden spyware, you need to install antivirus software on your phone.
Antivirus software scans your phone to find any hidden spyware and will remove the spyware from your phone.
You should always have antivirus software installed on your phone to help remove any current spyware and prevent incoming spyware.
Reboot your phone normally: After you have completed the previous steps, you can take your phone off safe mode and reboot it normally.
Once your phone boots up, you need to prevent future spyware from installing on your phone by updating your software and following cybersecurity best practices.”
Other ways to fix It
PCMag: Security Software and Factory Reset
“There are two ways to delete stalkerware from your device: Use security software to detect and delete the stalkerware, or perform a factory reset on the phone.”
Warning-
The factory reset will remove the offending app, and take all the rest of your data with it, so you should back up your important data before using this tactic.”
Tip:
You can also always go to
-Best Buy Geek Squad, Apple, Computer Store, to Double Check and Play it safe
-worst case, you throw out your old phone (far from home) and get a new one*
*again, it needs to have new apps, with a new email account, with new passwords, new phone number and so on and so forth, in case those accounts are compromised
**if you dint get new everything, you must be CERTAIN you know how your device had stalkerware installed, and that your other accounts are not effected or being accessed
Other Good Articles to read on Smart Devices and Security:
- Can he/she see your Whatsapp messages on their phone? (Yes)
- Wired: How to Check for Stalkerware
- Go Ask Rose-Identify Stalkerware On Your Phone
Notes to self:
- Apps
- *
- Throw Out
*Call and ask what they can do
