How to Know If Someone Spy Your iPhone

Retina-X, makers of PhoneSheriff , marketed their spyware software solution, for example, as "parental control for mobile. PhoneSheriff, developed for the Google Android operating system, permitted location monitoring via GPS, recorded calls, enabled access to text messages, and logged websites visited.

The spyware was also able to block contacts, websites, and apps. The company, which also developed TeenShield, SniperSpy, and Mobile Spy, closed its doors last year after a hacktivist said they would " burn them to the ground ," as the hacker deemed the business immoral.

Now, Retina-X has stopped taking orders for the software and is offering pro-rated refunds to contracted users. When these types of software are used at home, there are few reasons which do not lean towards toxic relationships. With the evolution of technology, so too has domestic abuse changed.

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Sometimes, stalkerware is used to monitor partners and spouses covertly, or occasionally with the full knowledge of the victim. Spyware and stalkerware are found less commonly in the enterprise although some software solutions are marketed for companies to keep track of employee mobile devices and their activities. The lines here can be blurry, but if a mobile device belongs to a company and is used by a staff member in full knowledge that it is tracked or monitored, then this may be considered acceptable.

In these cases, employees should keep their private lives, social media, and emails on their own smartphone or tablet and off company property. MobileTracker, FoneMonitor, Spyera , SpyBubble , Spyzie, Android Spy , and Mobistealth are a few more examples of stalkerware which offer similar features, among many, many more in what has become a booming business. It is also worth noting that you can be tracked by legitimate software which has been abused. Whether or not GPS is turned on, some information recovery apps and services designed to track down a handset in the case of loss or theft can be turned against victims to track their location instead.

Spyware and stalkerware need to find a way to infiltrate a victim's mobile device. Most of the time, this is simply done by installing the software on to the device physically, thus giving the app all the permissions it needs at the same time. However, there are also remote options which do not need physical access. These versions will use the same tactics of cybercriminals -- a link or email attachment sent together with its malicious package. If you find yourself the recipient of odd or unusual social media messages, text messages, or emails, this may be a warning sign and you should delete them without clicking on any links or downloading any files.

Should stalkers employ this tactic, they need you to respond to it. In order to ensure this, messages may contain content designed to induce panic, such as a demand for payment, or they could potentially use spoofed addresses from a contact you trust. There's no magic button to send spyware over the air; instead, physical access or the accidental installation of spyware by the victim is necessary. In the case of potential physical tampering, it can take mere minutes for spyware to be installed on a device. If your mobile or laptop goes missing and reappears with different settings or changes that you do not recognize, or perhaps has been confiscated for a time, this may be an indicator of compromise.

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Surveillance software is becoming more sophisticated and can be difficult to detect. However, not all forms of spyware and stalkerware are invisible and it is possible to find out if you are being monitored. Android: A giveaway on an Android device is a setting which allows apps to be downloaded and installed outside of the official Google Play Store. If enabled, this may indicate tampering and jailbreaking without consent. Not every form of spyware and stalkerware requires a jailbroken device, however. There is an app available in the Play Store called Root Checker that can check for jailbreaking on your behalf.

This varies depending on device and vendor. Some forms of spyware will also use generic names to avoid detection. If a process or app comes up on the list you are not familiar with, a quick search online may help you ascertain whether it is legitimate. However, the presence of an app called Cydia, which is a package manager that enables users to install software packages on a jailbroken device, may indicate tampering unless you knowingly downloaded the software yourself.

Windows: On Windows machines, double-checking installed program lists -- possible through the start bar -- and running processes under "Task Manager" may help you identify suspicious programs.

Mac: On Apple Mac machines, you can do the same by clicking "Launchpad," "Other," and "Activity Monitor" to check the status of running programs. You can also reach Activity Monitor quickly through Spotlight. In the cases of Android and iOS devices, you may also experience unexpected battery drain, as well as unexpected or strange behavior from the device operating system or apps -- but in the latter case, many users of stalkerware will try not to play their hand.

As with most things in life, trust your instincts. If you think something is wrong, it probably is -- and you should take steps to seize control of the situation. This is where things get difficult. By design, spyware and stalkerware are hard to detect and can be just as hard to remove. It is not impossible but may take some drastic steps on your part.

Also: Protect yourself: How to choose the right two-factor authenticator app.

2. Catch the snooper in the act

When removed, especially in the case of stalkerware, some operators will receive an alert warning them that the victim device is clean. In addition, should the flow of information suddenly cease, this is a clear indicator that the malicious software has been eradicated. Unfortunately, some stalkerware services claim to survive factory resets. So, failing all of that, consider throwing your device in the nearest recycling bin and starting afresh. However, it may also appear under another generic name, and so before deleting any apps, perform a search on the app name first.

Additional options to try are explained here. Both Google and Apple are generally quick off the mark if spyware or other forms of malicious apps manage to circumvent the privacy and security barriers imposed for applications hosted in their respective official app stores. While marketed as employee and child trackers, the tech giant took a dim view of their overreaching functions -- including GPS device tracking, access to SMS messages, the theft of contact lists, and potentially the exposure of communication taking place in messaging applications.

Also: Meet the malware which hijacks your browser and redirects you to fake pages.

When it comes to Apple, the iPad and iPhone maker began a crackdown on parental control apps in April, citing privacy-invading functions as the reason for some iOS apps to be removed from the App Store. In some cases, Apple requested developers to remove functions, whereas, in others, the apps were simply removed. The company offers its own parental device control service called Screen Time for parents that want to limit their children's device usage.

Surveillance without consent is unethical and in domestic situations causes a severe imbalance in power.

If your sixth sense says something is wrong, listen to it. A physical object is not worth sacrificing your privacy for. Should your device become compromised, take back control of your right to privacy -- whether or not this means replacing your handset entirely. Technology allows criminals to reroute your calls and texts to a different number.

They would only need a few seconds on your device and could have access to all your conversations. Criminals can hijack calls and texts, but luckily there is a way to stop them from stealing your data. Through secret codes on your iPhone, you can tell if you are being spied on. Before getting into the details, if James Bond is spying on you, you might have bigger problems than hijacked phone calls. With that said, there are ways the average person can listen in on your phone. This is where a criminal uses the mobile network to listen in on calls.

The LTE network can also be accessed through software-defined radio. However, the most effective method is to install spyware onto your phone for listening in on your conversations. Criminals would need access to your device. But these codes will be able to tell you if your calls and texts are being hijacked. Then simply tap the call button. Here are the available codes:. Call Forwarding When Unreachable is a network system that dictates what happens when your mobile device is off or has no signal.

If you have been expecting calls, but nothing seems to come through, you might want to check this setting. Under normal circumstances, everything should be Disabled. Check your phone — iPhone app exposed thousands of private calls. Update your iPhone now!