"USA Third Most Affected by Stalkerware"

Researchers from the cybersecurity company Kaspersky have found that Russia, Brazil, and the United States of America were most affected by stalkerware last year.  The researchers found that 53,870 Kaspersky users were affected globally by malicious surveillance software in 2020.  The USA, which was the fourth most impacted country in 2019, moved up to third place in 2020 with 4,745 people affected by stalkerware. The total number of victims globally in 2020 fell by 13,630 compared to 2019.  The researchers saw an increase in the number of victims in the second half of 2020 when lockdown restrictions were put in place due to COVID-19.  Nidb was the most used stalkerware sample in 2020.  This sample is used to sell several different stalkerware products such as iSpyoo, TheTruthSpy, and Copy9.  The researchers warn that this malicious software, which enables a remote user to monitor activities on another user's device, "may facilitate intimate partner surveillance, harassment, abuse, stalking, and/or violence."

Infosecurity reports: "USA Third Most Affected by Stalkerware"