Written by
Charlie Osborne, Contributor
Charlie Osborne
Contributor
Charlie Osborne is a cybersecurity journalist and photographer who writes for ZDNet and CNET from London.
Full Bio
Posted in Zero Day
on January 18, 2022
| Topic: Cyber Threats
Increasingly, we are using technology to perform everyday tasks like banking, shopping, socializing, and, in cases of domestic abuse, monitoring individuals without their consent — or with their “permission” through coercion.
Through technology, it is possible to stalk someone with little effort. This can involve anything from sleuthing to find out information about your Tinder date to checking a potential work candidate’s social profiles to planting spyware on your partner’s phone.
In short, technology has provided new avenues for stalking to take place.
Recorded cases of spyware and stalkerware have dropped in number in recent years — only to be replaced with mobile applications that can be difficult to detect and remove, covert cameras, and item trackers.
The Coalition against Stalkerware has further advice, which can be accessed here.
Tracking devices can be more complicated to deal with. In light of the privacy concerns raised, Tile will soon roll out a scanning feature on the Tile app to check for nearby devices — even if you do not have a tile yourself. But finding a Tile currently can be a difficult prospect.
“Tile will continue to seek guidance from advocacy organizations on the development of future iterations of this feature that will further enhance user safety,” the company says. “Tile will also provide resources and information to victims about how to stay safe if they suspect they are being tracked.”
Apple has released Tracker Detect, an app for Android that is compatible with Apple’s Find My network. This app can be used to perform local Bluetooth scans to try and find these kinds of devices.
AirTags will sound an alert when separated from their hub device for a period of time of between eight and 24 hours, and iOS device users (14.5+) will receive a notification that one is nearby. If you believe it is not a lost AirTag and is actually being used to track you, try to remove the battery (only if you can do so safely), but do not throw away the device. Apple and law enforcement can use the product and its serial number to potentially hunt down the owner. You can now also disable devices when they are not attached to your Apple ID.
Apple has provided a guide for these situations. The iPad and iPhone maker says:
“AirTag and the Find My network have also been designed to discourage unwanted tracking. To discourage tracking without your knowledge, Find My will notify you if an unknown AirTag or other Find My network accessory is seen moving with you over time.
An AirTag that isn’t with the person who registered it for an extended period of time will also play a sound when moved so you can find it, even if you don’t use an iOS device.”
According to Emm, the best overall solution is education.
“People just [need to be] knowledgable,” he commented. “I think we all need to get used to how vital these mobile devices are and, therefore, how important it is to protect them.”
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