Spooky Apps to (Definitely) Avoid this Halloween
In recent years, cyberstalking, the act of using software to spy on another individual, has become increasingly popular. All of us have likely heard about an application like this at some point or another. Disguised as a calculator or calendar app, these stalkerware applications record virtually every keystroke we make. Evidently, this is an enormous violation of user privacy — with unrestricted access to thousands of pieces of personal information for each of its users, stalkerware applications have the potential to wreak havoc on many people’s lives.
To better understand the risks associated with this, one must first learn what exactly a stalkerware application is. Essentially, stalkerware apps pertain to a rapidly growing group of applications that ‘spy’ on their users by monitoring and documenting all of their actions on any given device. These actions, in most cases, give away personal information such as the user’s passwords, location, conversations, and more. Even worse, these applications can be found on any application platform, such as the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. In most cases, stalkware applications are downloaded onto a victim’s device by a close family member or friend with ill intent. For example, a malicious individual (such as an abusive significant other) seeking to collect personal information could have, at one time, secretly downloaded the app Flash Keylogger — a known stalkerware application that was previously available on the Google Play Store — onto one of their victim’s devices . Disturbingly, the app could even have been made to appear like a calculator or calendar application, while simultaneously logging all the information (emails, texts, and even web searches) typed into the device by its target. This hypothetical is emblematic of how stalkerware applications have been and still are used.
Unfortunately, stalkerware applications aren’t the only pieces of software we should be wary of. VPNs, too, are being utilized by large companies to collect data on their users. In a nutshell, VPN services provide their users with secure connections in order to protect their data while surfing the Internet. They are able to achieve this by creating a tunnel of encryption on their servers, protecting the user’s actions on the web. However, over the past few years, popular VPN services have been bought by larger companies with morally gray agendas. Given that VPNs intercept their users’ internet traffic, companies with access to this traffic could potentially misuse that data. For example, VPN service Private Internet Access was bought by a company by the name of Kape Technologies in 2019, known formerly as Crossrider. Crossrider, however, had been previously criticized by engineers at Google for its involvement in the development of malware. Despite this, Kape was still able to purchase several VPN companies, such as CyberGhost VPN, ExpressVPN, and Zenmate. This is certainly a cause for concern, as, if a company like Kape is able to purchase several VPN services and effectively monitor all of their users, then who’s to say that our data is secure at all?
Although VPNS are undoubtedly helpful in many situations — especially when surfing the Internet in authoritarian countries that allow only limited access to web applications and services — this does not necessarily mean they should be freely used whenever and wherever. Nowadays, with the implementation of HTTPS, a protocol which encrypts data transfers when surfing the web, most of our Internet traffic is already protected. This renders VPNs useful, but definitely not necessary, especially on a daily basis.
These two sinister types of applications — stalkerware apps and hijacked VPNs — are certainly a cause for concern. Fundamentally, they are indicative of an emerging issue in the tech industry: software being used with malicious intentions, especially in regard to user privacy. It is therefore becoming increasingly important that we protect our data, remain mindful of what types of applications we use, and continue to be wary of what kinds of data they collect.
Thankfully, there are several ways you can protect yourself, especially in regards to stalkerware apps. For starters, you can change your passwords, frequently update your devices, and enable two-factor authentication. Moreover, you can look into using secure VPNs that are not owned by big companies such as Kape, or perhaps not even use a VPN at all, if it is not completely necessary. That way, you can make sure that individuals and companies with bad intentions aren’t given unrestricted access to your data and personal information. Because, in all honesty, nothing’s spookier than having your private data stolen by others.
