Flexispy

FlexiSpy is a mobile and computer stalkerware application developed by Vervata, a technology company based in Thailand.[1]

Overview

The app allows users to monitor activity on different devices from a central account. The app allows users to access a phone's GPS location, call logs and messaging, as well as the phone's camera.[2] According to LA Times, the app is used by parents to monitor their children's internet usage.[3] Thomas Brewster of Forbes wrote a report on the app's application for tracking cheating spouses.[4]

History

In 2017, Flexispy, along with stalkerware company Retina-X Studios, were hacked by two activists who released user data and wiped the companys' servers.[5] The hackers claimed that they were motivated by a desire to take down the stalkerware industry, due to its unethical applications. News coverage of the breach brought attention to the use of stalkerware, and its popularity.[6] Flexispy initially denied the data breach.[7]

Internet security activist Claudio Guarnieri released the FlexiKiller program, which detects whether Flexispy has been installed on a device.[8]

In 2018, archives of FlexiSpy's website were removed from the Wayback Machine. The company claimed to have contacted the Internet Archive, the owners of the Wayback Machine, presumably to remove the archives of its website.[9]

References
  1. "Meet FlexiSpy, The Company Getting Rich Selling 'Stalkerware' to Jealous Lovers". www.vice.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  2. "The Apps That Can Secretly Spy on You Through Your Cellphone". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  3. "FlexiSpy Reviews – Detailed Analysis of the Monitoring & Spying App". LA Weekly. 2021-05-17. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  4. Brewster, Thomas. "This Software Company May Be Helping People Illegally Spy On Their Spouses". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  5. Francisco, Iain Thomson in San. "After blitzing FlexiSpy, hackers declare war on all stalkerware makers: 'We're coming for you'". www.theregister.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  6. "Inside the 'Stalkerware' Surveillance Market, Where Ordinary People Tap Each Other's Phones". www.vice.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  7. "Stalkerware Company FlexiSpy Calls Catastrophic Hack 'Just Some False News'". www.vice.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  8. "Wanna Know If Someone Planted Spyware on Your Computer?". www.vice.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  9. Cox, Joseph (2018-05-22). "The Wayback Machine Is Deleting Evidence of Malware Sold to Stalkers". Vice. Archived from the original on 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
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