6 Signs Your Phone Has Stalkerware (And What To Do About It)

Of all the “wares” out there, “stalkerware” is one of the most frightening. There’s nothing fun about malware or ransomware, and these can leave you feeling foolish and abused. But stalkerware is specifically designed to know where you physically are located. In many cases, stalkers know exactly what you’re doing and when, too.

One popular app uses GPS to track a phone’s location, gives you a full log of all calls sent and received, and even shows you text messages and web activity. This information is available online after you create a free account. Tap or click here to learn more about the free tracking app and get links to download it for iOS and Android.

Phones aren’t the only ways people can spy on your every move. Tap or click here for tips on how to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car as they’re hard to spot, too.

Thankfully, Google and Apple have been dropping the hammer on stalkerware. The fact that the companies have plausible deniability as “child safety” apps means that the problem is unlikely to disappear any time soon.

So how do you know if your device has stalkerware installed? Here are clues that your gadget is infected with some form of malware (both Android and iOS, jailbroken or not).

1. A surge in data usage

Check your data usage from prior months. If you notice sudden spikes in your data, even though you haven’t really changed your usage patterns, there’s a possibility your phone is infected.

Similarly, adware-infected phones usually perform unsolicited clicks in the background to generate profit for cybercriminals. All of these stealthy tactics use up bandwidth, and the unauthorized data they consume should be relatively easy to spot.