{"id":29802,"date":"2021-11-16T10:11:49","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T07:11:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/?p=29802"},"modified":"2026-03-27T23:44:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T20:44:35","slug":"kaspersky-teams-up-with-interpol-and-civil-society-organizations-for-training-on-stalkerware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/kaspersky-teams-up-with-interpol-and-civil-society-organizations-for-training-on-stalkerware\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaspersky teams up with INTERPOL and civil society organizations for training on stalkerware"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In light of October being, in various countries across the globe, the month to raise awareness of cybersecurity and domestic violence, Kaspersky has joined with other Coalition Against Stalkerware experts to provide police officers with knowledge to investigate digital stalking.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, three members of the Coalition \u2013 Kaspersky, the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) based in the USA, and Australia’s national umbrella organization for domestic violence services Wesnet \u2013 organized, together with INTERPOL, a supporter of the Coalition, two online training sessions addressing issues of digital stalking and domestic violence. The goal of the online training, which involved more than 210 participants, was to help enhance capacity building within law enforcement agencies, support victims requesting assistance, and hold perpetrators to account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stalkerware enables a perpetrator to secretly spy on another person\u2019s private life via a mobile device. The software is commercially available and provides access to an array of personal data, such as device location, browser history, text messages, social media chats, photos and more. However, stalkerware is not only an issue of privacy invasion, it\u2019s yet another form of digital and domestic violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStalking is a known risk associated with the increased likelihood of lethal and near-lethal harm. Our research with Australian frontline family violence workers found that tracking and monitoring of women by perpetrators had risen 244 percent between 2015 and 2020, and stalking is often via technological means. It is one of the most common forms of abuse co-occurring with domestic and family violence<\/em>,\u201d adds Karen Bentley, Chief Executive Officer, Wesnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Kaspersky\u2019s\u00a0State of Stalkerware 2020 report<\/a>, 53,870 mobile users worldwide were affected by stalkerware in 2020. Keeping in mind the big picture, these numbers only include Kaspersky users, and the total global numbers will be higher. The\u00a0Coalition Against Stalkerware<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 co-founded by Kaspersky in 2019 and comprising today of more than 40 active organizations tackling the issue of stalkerware \u2013 estimates that usage of stalkerware likely exceeds one million instances per year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDigital stalking is an issue known to the global law enforcement community, but there is a need to enhance capabilities around how to conduct investigations on stalkerware. The software hides itself and investigations need to be undertaken carefully for the safety of the victims. The online sessions organized together with Kaspersky, NNEDV and Wesnet offered helpful advice for our member countries. INTERPOL is committed to work continually with the Coalition Against Stalkerware, to promote the training to the global law enforcement community and to increase awareness of this problem,<\/em>\u201d explains Pei Ling Lee, Acting Assistant Director of Cyber Strategy and Capabilities Development, INTERPOL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In each of the online training sessions, Kaspersky experts shared know-how from a technical perspective around what stalkerware is and its installation methods. Law enforcement officers also learnt about different methods to detect stalkerware safely for a victim. An important element included an introduction of how to work with\u00a0TinyCheck<\/a>, a free anti-stalkerware tool that allows the user to scan any device for stalkerware without making the perpetrator aware.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are glad to be working together with law enforcement agencies to share our expertise on the stalkerware threat. However, knowledge of the threat alone doesn\u2019t help tackle it. That\u2019s why we also give officers several solutions, including TinyCheck \u2013 a helpful open source tool to safely detect stalkerware when being confronted with a suspected case. Ideally, TinyCheck will become a standard tool to help victim support and law enforcement agencies alike to easily confirm whether stalkerware is installed on a device<\/em>,\u201d comments Noushin Shabab, Senior Security Researcher, Kaspersky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the online training sessions, two NGOs working in the field of domestic violence shared tips on how law enforcement officers can better support victims who require assistance. The training concluded with participants asking questions and sharing any feedback on the sessions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe misuse of technology as a tactic of abuse is incredibly common. Keeping up with constantly evolving technology that is being weaponized can be a challenge for law enforcement, advocates, and survivors. It\u2019s important for professionals working with survivors to understand the ways technology can be misused and how to support survivors. Survivors should be empowered to learn how to increase their privacy and safety with technology<\/em>,\u201d emphasizes Erica Olsen, Director of Safety Net, National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For users who suspect they may be affected or are being impacted by stalkerware, Kaspersky has the following recommendations: <\/p>\n\n\n\n