Are Spy Apps Safe? 5 Spy App Vulnerabilities: Android and iOS

keleis andre1 May 2023

0 3,967 8 minutes read

Are Spy Apps Safe? 5 Spy App Vulnerabilities: Android and iOS

Table of Contents

Are Spy Apps Safe and Secure?

Many people use cell phone spying apps to spy on other people’s phones. Cell phone spying apps allow people to get a lot of information from the target person’s phone. This is very tempting because these apps display people’s personal information without their consent. Many people are looking to spy on the mobile phones of their spouses, children, or employees and use these apps. But is it safe to use them? Apart from the issue of people’s privacy and accessing their personal information without their permission, these apps also have many issues in terms of security, which is why it is very important what app you choose.

Are Spy apps safe?

Many spy apps use secure protocols in data transmission and transmit data through HTTP channels. Due to strong encryption, data transmission from these channels makes it impossible for hackers to access them. Of course, not all of these apps are like this, and many of them are made by novice programmers and have low security. Also, third-party spying apps collect information from both sides. This information is completely personal and companies that develop spy apps can sell this information.

All this makes these apps have the potential to be used for malicious purposes and to abuse people. Many spy programs have been developed as open source, which makes it possible for people with programming knowledge to use them for nefarious purposes by making a series of changes in the structure of these apps. Of course, not all spying apps are like this, and many of them are acceptable from a security point of view, so it is very important to use safe apps when needed.

5 Spy App Vulnerabilities: Android and iOS

There are many risks in using mobile spy apps for Android and iPhone. Because most of these apps are very vulnerable and have security flaws. In the following, we will mention the security flaws that many of these apps have and you should be aware of before using them.

Insecure Transmission of Target and User Personal Information

One of the threats is often in the form of malware or spyware that allows cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to people’s data. In many cases, users are completely unaware. With this information, criminals can perform malicious actions. They can do anything from stealing and selling data to accessing contacts and sending messages and making calls. They can also use this information to log into user accounts and impersonate.

These actions are done only by criminals to obtain the personal information of people. When you use a spy app, the personal information of the target device, such as messages, calls, photos, videos, etc., is displayed to you through these apps. The transfer of this data must be done through encrypted HTTP channels. Even some reputable apps use military-grade encryption protocols such as VPN, but many spy apps do not comply with these security measures and cybercriminals can easily obtain this information.

Storage of Sensitive Data on External Media

As we said, when using spy programs, sensitive and personal information from the target device will be displayed to you. Then this information is stored in storage places such as sd cards and there is no security layer to access them. For this reason, hackers can easily access the information on SD cards and can delete or change this information using third-party programs. But this is only possible on phones with Android 10 and older.

Exposing Private Data to an Unauthorized User

Considering that spy apps transfer personal information from the target device and store information on both sides, they do not use appropriate security measures to protect this information. Servers and communication channels used by spy apps do not have good security layers, and despite the security gaps in their structure, hackers and cybercriminals with sufficient programming knowledge can easily use these flaws and access information on servers or channels. Then they can use that personal information to harm both the user and the target.

Server Leak of User information

When setting up and installing spy apps, you must first create an account on the spy app website. Your email and password are required to create this account. Your account information will then be stored on the spy app’s servers. As we said, the security of these servers is low and it is possible to access them. This allows criminals and hackers to use this information against the target and stalker. Also, the target may easily realize that he is being spied on. Then he can change the information and provide false information to the stalker. Also, if he wants, he can complain about the stalker with the IP of the phone, he can easily do this and then get the information of the stalker easily from the servers of the spy app. This can have legal consequences for the stalker.

Insufficient Verification of Victim-Uploaded Data

Spy apps collect and store personal information from the target device, but they do not have any security protocol for data validation and do not check their authenticity before storing and sending the information. This makes it possible to change information or enter incorrect information into the server. For this reason, hackers can abuse this and manipulate information, or licensed software, if they get the ID of the target device, can impersonate the target device and enter any information into the server, and that information will be available to the stalker. This procedure creates the possibility of any kind of abuse of the target and the stalker.

Spy App Network Vulnerability

Considering that spy apps have access to people’s sensitive information and transmit and store this information, they often do not have good security. Researchers have identified a large number of spy app vulnerabilities during a study they conducted. During this research that was conducted in Germany on 18 Google Play spy apps, a total of 37 types of vulnerabilities were discovered in these apps.

Some of them allowed criminals to access usernames and passwords, and others could be easily bypassed and access users’ personal photos and videos. In just one case, an app couple vow, which advertised the discovery of cheating couples, researchers were able to easily access 1.7 million passwords, contact information, location, photos, etc. of users. Also, hackers were able to access the personal information of its users by using a security gap in the mSpy app.

MSpy admits hacking and data theft – BBC News
A company offering software that allows people to spy on others has admitted it has been hacked and had thousands of customer records leaked online.
The admission comes a day after mSpy told BBC News it had not been hacked and no data had been stolen.
It has also emerged that the UK’s Information Commissioner is investigating the company.
It told the BBC it was “aware of the breach and is trying to find out where the company is based”.

MSpy offers software it says is aimed at parents worried about what their children are up to online and employers who want to legitimately track their employees.
But it is also used for more nefarious purposes, such as spouses spying on their partners.

Security expert Brian Krebs broke the news that a vast vault of highly personal data from mSpy customers had been dumped on the so-called dark web – an area of the internet that cannot be reached by traditional search engines.
He had been contacted by an anonymous source who had sent him a link to the data on a Tor-based site – technology that allows people to mask the identity of their websites.
BBC News has now also been sent links to the data, which it is currently analysing. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32826678

Also, my family’s gps transmitted users’ information without any special encryption and protection, which made it possible for hackers to obtain that information with a simple request because this app uses an unencrypted HTTP protocol for data transmission. Also, other apps such as kidcontroll gps tracker and girlfriend cell tracker had severe security problems and used a simple HTTP channel to transfer user information instead of proper encryption for data transfer, they used a simple information obfuscation that hackers easily They pass through it. All these points show the importance of the security of spy apps, which should protect the user’s information.

Importance of Encrypting User Data

Encryption is a process in which information is changed from its normal state in such a way that it cannot be read by others. To read the information, a type of key is needed, which means, the information can only be understood by having that key. to decrypt the information, a key is given to the owner of the information. Then the encrypted information can be transmitted through communication channels, and if the data transmission and storage process has security gaps and hackers get access to the information, they cannot use the data without the key.

This is a method of protecting personal and sensitive information, which is called encryption. software that has access to sensitive and personal information of users usually encrypts that information so that it can only be understood by the owner of the information. Because if this information falls into the hands of criminals and hackers, it can cause great harm to the owner of the information. Hackers can use account information, passwords, bank information, private photos, messages, and personal videos against the owner of the information and cause many problems.

Phishing attacks, impersonation, unauthorized withdrawal from financial accounts, and blackmail are among the crimes that are committed by misuse of personal information. Spy apps should also protect their users’ data in this way. apps like Spy24 use advanced encryption processes to transfer data and deliver this information to users with complete security. Also, user account information and passwords are only used for the registration process and the spy24 does not store them. During the encryption process, personal information is only visible to the user, and even spy24 employees do not have access to the information. Because the spy24 provides the decryption key only to the user, in this way, users can be sure that their personal information will not be disclosed in any way.

Protecting Yourself and Your Target

You use spy apps to monitor other people’s mobile phones. A mobile phone is a personal device. That means you have to use these apps to access personal information. So, to protect yourself and your target, it is better to be careful in choosing the spy app you want to use. There are many spy software but not all of them fully comply with security tips. So it’s better to do your research before choosing to sign the spyware after you are sure that your data is safe.

Also, you should read the rules for using spy software before doing this. You should know that you can install the spy app only with the written permission of the owner of that device. And your target must know that his activities are being monitored. Installing spy software on a device that you do not own and the owner of the device does not know about this is considered a crime, and if necessary, the developer of the spy software will cooperate with all relevant institutions. Because spy software should not be used to harass others, and accessing the personal information of people over 18 years old without their consent is against the law. Even if those people are your spouse and children. For this reason, I advise you to read the rules and terms of use before using spy apps so that you don’t get into legal problems in the future.

List of Apps That Spy on You:

Additionally, it is important to note that spying on someone without their consent is illegal and a violation of their basic human rights. You might also want to check out some of our other posts, such as ” Best Phone Tracker Apps Without Permission .”