At Black Hat 2021, security experts break down how stalkerware works, how it fits into a pattern of domestic abuse enabled by technology, and what Silicon Valley can do about it.
Beyond ads promising to expose a cheating spouse or track a long-lost love with software, there’s stalkerware, a type of spyware that is similar to commercial malware. Stalkerware is as invasive as it sounds, and can be used as a form of domestic abuse, harassment, and sexual violence also known as intimate partner violence (IPV). At Black Hat 2021, Lodrina Cherne, Principal Security Advocate at Cybereason, and Martjin Grooten, a security consultant who is also a coordinator at the Coalition Against Stalkerware, broke down how stalkerware works, how it fits into a cycle of domestic abuse enabled by technology, and what Silicon Valley can do about it. Checking In or Stalking? Ten percent of the 2,000 US adults surveyed by NortonLifeLock last year admitted to using an app to monitor an ex or current partner’s text messages, phone calls, and other communications. Men were 2.5 more likely than women to engage in this behavior. Younger adults were more likely to believe stalking is harmless, as 65% of the 18- to 34-year-olds surveyed said they have checked in on a current or former significant other. So when does checking in become abuse? According to the US-based National Network to End Domestic Violence, any form of non-consensual surveillance creates the potential for a power imbalance in a relationship.
