Kaspersky researchers have disclosed the results of the global analysis of stalkerware programs – commercially available spyware often used for domestic abuse.
According to their calculations, 318 users in South Africa have found out they have stalkerware programs on their phone after installing Kaspersky security solution for mobile devices.
Stalkerware is commercially available software that can be purchased by ordinary people and to be used to secretly spy on another person’s private life via a smart device and is often used as part of intimate partner violence.
The types of personal data transferred to the privacy abuser by such programs ranges from geolocation transmission to the reports on social media messages and ability to turn on the camera on the device at any given moment.
According to Kaspersky’s State of Stalkerware report, in total, at least 53 870 mobile users worldwide were notified on the existence of such program on their phones after installing Kaspersky.
Since February 2021, the DeStalk consortium partners have been developing the e-learning course, with the overarching goal to better help victims and prevent online gender-based violence. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, one in 10 women have already been subjected to cyber violence from the age of 15. In Europe, seven in 10 women who have experienced cyberstalking have also experienced at least one form of physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner.
The online course is a milestone on the way to filling a knowledge gap, as online abuse is a known issue, but practitioners and officials need more knowledge to enhance their ability to recognise and stop the use of cyberviolence and stalkerware.
Kaspersky developed the e-learning package in cooperation with Fundación Blanquerna, Una Casa per l’Uomo, Regione del Veneto and WWP EN. The course is taught on Kaspersky’s Automated Security Awareness Platform, one of the company’s educational platforms. Work on the online course has been possible thanks to the support of the Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Program of the European Commission.
“We are honored to have led the work on DeStalk e-learning, with our expert partners from research and education, civil society organisations and governmental authorities to develop content for this important training on cyberviolence and stalkerware,” comments Tanguy de Coatpont, MD: Southern Europe at Kaspersky. “By combining our joint expertise from different disciplines, we have designed a unique online course on our platform.
“Aimed at increasing capabilities of professionals working in the field of domestic violence and government authorities, the micro-learning approach and automated training paths will enable users to learn at their own pace and acquire the skills needed to support victims of cyberviolence and stalkerware.”