In August 2020, Coalition member Corrata published their research findings on the most invasive stalkerware apps currently available. They conducted this research by downloading the apps and installing them onto a number of test phones.
The key findings of the research were:
- Call recordings, texts, WhatApp messages, photos, camera access and GPS location were visible to the installer through a separate server
- Out of 80 URL Categorization Sites tested, only 2.5% detected the websites from which the stalkerware was downloaded as being malicious
- The stalkerware apps required access to Device Admin Privileges and Accessibility permissions and instructed the installer to disable Google Play Protect
- The apps alerted the installer when the stalkerware was removed from the device
You can read Corrata’s full report here.