Spyzie Stalkerware spies thousands of Android users and iPhone

A little -known phone surgery called Spyzie has compromised more than half a million Android devices and thousands of iPhone and iPad, according to data shared by a security researcher.

Most of the affected owners of devices that are unknown probably do not know that their phone data has been compromised.

Security researcher told TechCrunch Spyzie is vulnerable to the same mistake as Cocospy and Spyictwo almost identical but different branded Stalkerware Applications that share the same output code and expose the data to more than 2 million people, as reported last week. The error allows everyone to access the phone data, including messages, photos and location data set out by any device compromised by the three applications.

The error also outlines the email addresses of each client who has registered with Spyzie to compromise someone else’s device, the researcher said.

The researcher uses the error to collect 518 643 unique email addresses to Spyzie clients and provide the cache to TechCrunch and Troy Hunt email addresses who manages Was I pwned Site for notification of data breach.

This last expiration shows how many more common users monitoring have occurred among civil society, even from few known operations such as Spyzie, which hardly have an online presence and are largely Forbidden by Google to perform ads in search resultsStill, they have accumulated thousands of paying customers.

Coconuts, Spyic and Spyzie are used by more than 3 million customers.

Leakage also shows that the disadvantages of Stalkerware applications are increasingly common and are at risk of customer and victim data. Even in the case of parents who want to use these applications to monitor their children, which is legal, they put the data to their children at risk of hackers.

By our number, Spyzie is now Stalkerware’s 24th Operation Since 2017, they should be hacked or expired in another way or to display their highly sensitive data from their victims due to insolent security.

Spyzie operators have not returned TechCrunch’s request for comment. The error has not yet been eliminated during writing.

Planted Android apps and stolen Apple IDs

Applications like Spyzie or Cocospy and Spyic are designed to remain hidden from home screens, which makes the applications difficult to identify by their victims. All the time, applications are constantly uploading the content of the victim’s device on the spyware servers and are available to the person who planted the app.

A copy of the data shared by the TechCrunch security researcher shows that the greater part of Spyzie victims are owned by Android devices whose phones should have physical access to plant the Spyzie application, usually by someone who is known to the hemisphere of the device.

This is one of the reasons why these applications are usually used in the context of a violent relationship in which people often know their romantic partner’s phone.

The data also shows that Spyzie was used to compromise at least 4,900 iPhone and iPad.

Apple has more stringent rules on which apps can operate on the iPhone and iPad, so Stalkerware usually fits into the victim’s device stored in the Apple cloud storage service using the Apple’s Apple account identification data, not the device itself.

Some of the most compromised Apple devices dates from early February 2020 and recently in July 2024, expired Spyzie Records show.

How to remove Spyzie Stalkerware

As with Cocospy and Spyic, it was not possible to identify the individual victims of Spyzie’s observation from scraped data.

But there are things you can do to see if your phone has been compromised by Spyzie.

For Android users: Even if Spyzie is hidden from the view, you can usually dial ✱✱001✱✱ on your Android Phone app keyboard and then press the call button. If Spyzie is installed, it should appear on your screen.

It is a rear door feature embedded in the application that allows the person who planted the app app to the victim’s phone to regain access. In this case, it can also be used by the victim to see if the application is installed.

TechCrunch has a Total Guide to Remove Spy Software Android This can help you identify and remove common types of phone stalkers and turn on the settings to protect your Android device.

You should also have safety planBy turning off spyware, it can alert the person who plant it.

For iPhone and iPad users: Spyzie relies on the use of the Apple Account username and password of the victim to access data stored in their iCloud account. You must ensure that your Apple account uses Two -factor authenticationWhich is a vital protection against account hacks and a major way for Stalkerware to focus on your data. You should also check and Remove all devices from your Apple account you don’t recognizeS

If you or someone you know, you need help, the national hot line of domestic violence (1-800-799-7233) provides 24/7 free, confidential support for victims of domestic violence and violence. If you are in an emergency, call 911. Coalition vs. Stalkerware There are resources if you think your phone has been compromised by Spyware.