The technological development has led to the development of cell phone spyware, to know the phone activities of the end user. These spyware softwares are legally approved and used by the government to gather the information from the citizen’s cell phone. Parents are actively using this software to keep the check on their children activity on the cell phone. With such a popularity among all ages and levels, it is important to know exactly what is cell phone spyware? What are its features and how to counter it?
The cell phone spyware is the software program through which the mobile phones usage or application, can be monitored and recorded, without letting it know to the end user. Such kind of software was initially developed as the monitoring program. However, over the period of time the marketing of these softwares with the tagline such as “spy on your husband”, “spy on your EX” or “catching cheating spouse” has turned these monitoring softwares more into spying software. Still, if these software apps are installed with the knowledge of the end user and are legally acceptable, then such software will be considered as just monitoring software and not the spyware. Therefore, it will be right to say, it’s the intention and purpose with which the activity information gathering software is being used. If it is just to have a log of activities, it will be termed as monitoring software and if it is for spying, it will be termed as spyware. Another important thing about these softwares is access to the internet.
The cell phone spyware apps are workable only on Smartphones enabled with the internet. The older version mobile phones with no access to the internet cannot be monitored or spied on as they will not support the apps featuring monitoring functions.
Features of Spyware
Once, the internet enabled Smartphone is infected with the spyware app, the installer will have complete access to the cell phone. He/ she can eavesdrop on the conversation, have access to the actual text message, e-mails, photos, videos, contacts and internet browsing history. Apart from these, the spier can also track the device in the real time on the map through the GPS tracking mechanism.
These are just a few of the basic features of the software. However, the competition has led to the inclusion of some more advanced features by the market competitors such as the capability of call recording, social sites monitoring, remote controlling with the added triggering and alert features.
To counter these spyware softwares, there are protection softwares that can look for the installed spyware and remove it from the phone. These softwares generally comes in combination with the anti-virus software for the cell phone. These anti-spyware apps monitor each and every application to know the installed software to protect the device. Though there is the availability of the protection software, but, often their capability is questioned by the users. Thus, the source for the anti-spyware shall always be the trusted source to make sure, the user cell phone is not further compromised.
