{"id":145270,"date":"2019-07-23T15:32:53","date_gmt":"2019-07-23T15:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=145270"},"modified":"2025-07-01T21:39:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:39:28","slug":"google-play-store-stalkerware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/google-play-store-stalkerware\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Play Store had apps that allowed digital stalking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Malware is bad, but now we have a new threat to contend with. Ladies and gentlemen, let\u2019s talk about stalkerware.<\/p>\n

Security specialists at Avast have identified 7 apps on the Google Play Store that allowed people to stalk others<\/h2>\n

\"Stalkerware<\/p>\n

In a recent blog post<\/a>, Avast announced that it had discovered seven apps available on the Google Play Store that enabled users to stalk other people.<\/strong> The apps work by sharing the victims live location, collecting their contact list, and monitoring their SMS and call history. This made it possible to stalk work employees or colleagues, romantic partners or, perhaps worst of all, children. According to Avast, all seven apps were likely designed by a Russian developer.<\/p>\n

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Stalking apps in @GooglePlay<\/a>. Four apps, the same developer. Install it to your employee\/kid etc and track the location, collect contacts, SMS & call history. If the phone is rooted you can also collect WhatsApp\/Viber messages.
\nThose shouldn’t exist on Google Play. pic.twitter.com\/aYsm72Ldl8<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Nikolaos Chrysaidos (@virqdroid) July 16, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Before publishing the blog post, Avast first notified Google of the seven malicious apps and the internet giant has since removed them all from the Play Store. Unfortunately, however, they\u2019d been downloaded over 130,000 times<\/strong> before Google was able to remove them. You can see the names of the seven apps below:<\/p>\n