Our Action to Raise Awareness: Interview with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime

In a web interview, Neil Walsh, Chief of the Cybercrime and Anti-Money-Laundering section and Live Brenna, Associate Cybercrime and Anti-Money Laundering Officer, both from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), spoke with Tara Hairston about how the Coalition Against Stalkerware reacts to the growing stalkerware threat.

Tara, who is the Head of Government Relations and Public Affairs in North America at Kaspersky, explained why stalkerware is an issue of growing importance to both IT-security companies and mobile device users, what challenges cybersecurity vendors face in detecting stalkerware, and what actions the Coalition undertakes in order to raise awareness and help people affected by digitally-enabled violence.  

One of the stakeholder groups that the Coalition has focused on is cybersecurity professionals. This engagement includes educating these professionals to distinguish between “traditional cybercrime” situations and domestic violence or abusive relationship cases, where typical cyber-hygiene advice may not sufficiently empower individuals to protect themselves. Another focus of the Coalition is advocacy groups that work directly with domestic violence survivors and other individuals who might be potentially affected by stalkerware to help them to mitigate risks or engage in safety planning. Finally, the Coalition has also worked to educate media on this important issue.

For anyone who would like to educate themselves more about stalkerware, the Coalition Against Stalkerware and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime plan to hold a webinar later this summer. The registration link with other information will be provided on this page once it becomes available. So stay tuned!