INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Stalkerware lets users see someone's messages, emails and even access their
camera
Amy says it all started when her husband seemed to know intimate details about her friends."He would drop snippets
into conversations, such as knowing about Sarah's baby
Really private things that he shouldn't have known about
If I asked how he knew these things, he'd say I'd told him and accuse me of losing it," she says.Amy - not her real name - also began to
wonder how he seemed to know where she was all the time."Sometimes he would say he saw me at a cafe where I was meeting my friends and say
he was just passing by chance
I started to question everything and trust no-one, even my friends," she says.For months, these incidents built up, turning an abusive
marriage into a nightmare that came to a chilling conclusion after a Halloween family trip."We'd been to visit a pumpkin patch and were
having a rare good weekend, which basically means my husband hadn't taken anything out on me
Our six-year-old son was playing on the floor and was so happy," Amy says."My husband passed me his phone to show me a picture he'd taken at
the farm and in that split-second I saw an alert pop up on his screen
It read, 'Daily report on Amy's Mac is ready to view.'"I felt this chill go through me and I stopped breathing for a minute
I had to excuse myself and pretended I needed the bathroom
I had to be there for my son and pretend that I hadn't seen anything."The first moment I could, I went to the library to use the computer
and look up the spyware he'd used
That's when everything made sense after months of thinking I was going crazy."Stalkerware - also known as spouseware - are powerful
surveillance software programs typically sold openly online.On a device, all messages can be read, screen activity recorded, GPS locations
tracked and cameras used to spy on what an individual is doing.GettySidestep stalkerwareTips to avoid being victimised:Don’t leavedevice
unattended – most software requires physical accessDitch fingerprintlock - a partner can use your print while you sleepAdd security app-
antivirus software can also detect spyware and remove itSource: TheIndianSubcontinentAccording to cyber-security company Kaspersky, the
number of people who have discovered such software on their devices has risen by at least 37% in the past year.Kaspersky researchers say
their protection technologies have detected stalkerware on 37,532 devices so far this year
And principal security researcher David Emm says this is the "tip of a very large iceberg"."Most people will routinely protect a laptop or
desktop, not that many people actually protect a mobile device," he says."This information is coming back from installations of our product
on [smartphones] so this figure doesn't even go close to what the total would be."Kaspersky's findings indicate Russia is the country with
the highest levels of stalkerware activity
India, Brazil, the United States and Germany complete the top five, with the UK in eighth place with 730 detections.Another security company
says there are practical steps people can take if they suspect they are already being spied on."It's always advisable to check which apps
are on your phone and conduct a virus scan where necessary and if there are any apps on your device that you do not recognise it is worth
searching online for reviews and deleting them," says Jake Moore, from Eset."As a general rule, if you aren't using an app, delete it."Once
Amy realised her computer had been compromised, she developed a severe mistrust of technology, which she is only just overcoming.Charities
say this is a common psychological response to such a trauma
Jessica's ex-husband routinely spied on her through her phone's microphone and would play mind games by repeating specific phrases she and
her friends had used in private conversations.It's been years since she escaped the relationship but she still leaves her phone locked in
the car when seeing friends.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Stalkerware is often used to monitor victim's
locations and messages
Gemma Toynton, from domestic abuse charity Safer Places, says she see this long-term effect a lot in
"It reduces someone's trust," she says
"It makes them see a phone or laptop as a weapon, because that's what it's been used for."Technology has become, in their minds like a net
around them and a lot of people do withdraw from using the internet."It really does impact your whole life
The fact that this stalkerware is on the rise is a real concern."Amy, who is from the US, is now divorced and lives many miles away from her
She has a restraining order preventing him from direct contact with her and he is legally allowed to communicate logistics about their son's
care via written letter only.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Abusers have been known to use victims
fingerprints to access phones to install the software
I tested out one of the most popular consumer products, which costs
£140 for three months of surveillance.I bought it online and installed it on to my work phone
It took me about an hour and I used the 24-hour live support offered by the company when I encountered any problems.Spyware companies
advertise their services as "employee monitoring" or "parental control" products
In many countries, including the UK, using the spyware on a spouse without their permission is illegal, so many of the companies' websites
are littered with disclaimers advising against this.However, some of the same websites link to articles, seemingly written by associates,
recommending the software as a spy tool for "cheatings wives and husbands"
In a live chat with the company whose product I was testing, I directly told them: "I want to install this on my wife's phone, will it be
secret?" The customer service-representative responded: "The application will start to work in stealth mode right after installation
I'll be happy to help."I also downloaded five of the top cyber-security products on to the infected mobile and carried out a free scan
All of them gave alerts for "potentially harmful software"
The Crown Prosecution Service says there aren't specific laws related to the use of stalkerware but any criminal activity like this can be
prosecuted by a number of means including the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.Amy says more should be done to legislate against the use
"They need to stop hiding behind plausible deniability," she says
"There is a wink that's given when they send this little disclaimer that says, 'We don't approve of you spying on wives.' They know what
they're customers are doing though
This software causes real harm."
