subject: The new scourge of cell phone spyware [print this page] The new scourge of cell phone spyware The new scourge of cell phone spyware
It's a frightening thought, but the most useful gadget in your life (i.e. your smartphone) can be turned into an eavesdropping monster, spying on the most private aspects of your personal life! A whole new generation of smart phones has come along, enabling you to keep in touch wherever you may be. However, a whole new generation of phone spyware has also come along, raising the possibility of an open window into your private world, something to be exploited by people who do not have your best interests at heart.
On the technical side, installing cell phone spyware is fairly easy - the spymaster just needs a few minutes alone with your cell phone to install spyware. They are then capable of recording all your telephone conversations and text messages. The monitoring program runs invisibly in the background, and you would never guess your cell phone is now betraying you.
Simple eavesdropping is not all this new spyware can do. More advanced programs can track the cell phones location by triangulating data from cell phone towers and GPS systems. If you have your phone on you at all times, the spymaster will be able to pinpoint your location minute by minute on a standard Google maps web page. And even more advanced feature of some spyware is to keep constant surveillance on a person even when their phone is turned off. These programs simply turn your phone's micro into a listening device when you're not actually using it, and any sounds within earshot can be picked up and recorded by the spymaster.
So how legal is all this?
Well, in a lot of countries it isn't legal at all to install spyware on another person's phone. You should be okay if you're just installing it on your childrens' phones in order to keep tabs on them, but if you are considering installing cell phone spyware on another adult's phone without their consent you may well get into legal trouble if you get caught. Most of the spyware vendors have a discreet disclaimer on the pages urging you to check up on the legality of their products in your country. Also bear in mind that any information gleaned in an illegal manner becomes null and void in a court of law (for example during divorce proceedings, or a business split-up) and would really not serve to bolster your reputation with the judges.
Is it easy to detect cell phone spyware?
The software is supposed to be invisible to the cell phone's user, but there are a couple of sites which may tip you off to a spyware infection. Your phone may start to behave unusually-it may start to make odd beeping noises or clicking sounds, or it may start to vibrate or light up for no apparent reason. You may also notice a sharp drop in the phone's battery life-if you suddenly need to charge your phone twice as often as usual, there may be a problem.
If you think your phone has been infected there is one quick and simple solution-wipe the operating system and reinstall everything again.If you're not the technical kind you could always return the phone to the shop or website from which you bought it and get a qualified technician to reset everything. Furthermore, just as PCs have antivirus software, anti-spyware software is now becoming available for most modern smartphones. Whilst the current packages aren't cheap, they certainly provide the peace of mind of knowing that nobody is spying on you!
