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International cybersecurity and anti-virus provider Kaspersky’s annual state of stalkerware report 2023 has shed light on the rapidly rising cases of digital stalking in the country. While the entire Asia-Pacific region saw the number of affected users go up from 3,187 in 2022 to 4,575 in 2023, India took lead in recording the highest t number of affected users at 2,492. Indonesia, which came in a far second, recorded 871 cases of digital stalking. 

According to the report, around 31,031 unique users were affected by stalkwares, a marginal jump from 29,312 users in 2022. Notably, Russia (9,890 cases), Brazil (4,186 cases) and India (2,492 cases) were ranked the top three countries which reported the highest number of users affected by digital stalking. Worryingly, these countries have consistently held on to these top spots since 2019. 

Navigating online stalking and relationships

Digital stalking, as the report noted, is a key element present in abusive relationships. It majorly takes place through stalkerwares (stalking malwares)like TrackView, which enable the user to remotely monitor and surveil the activities on the victim’s devices, without their express consent or knowledge. 40% respondents also disclosed that they have  experienced stalking or suspected that they were being stalked.

Globally, TrackView emerged as the most popular stalkerware, affecting 4,049 users. It was followed by Reptilic (3,089), SpyPhone (2,126) and MobileTracker (2,099) users). The report identified a list of common features shared by stalkwares, which include reading SMS, call logs, taking screenshots and accessing an individual’s contacts, gallery, GPS location, calendar events and social media messages. However, as the study noted, it is less likely to find stalkerware apps on iPhones as compared to Android devices. 

But what about instances where the user is unaware that they are being stalked? 7% respondents reported that stalkerware had been installed in their devices without their knowledge. Herein too, women respondents (42%) reported far more incidences of violence, stalking  and abuse as compared to their male counterparts (36%). While stalking through phone apps (20%) was most prevalent, access via laptop apps (10%) and webcams (10%) also featured on the list. 

Experts recommend protecting your devices with a strong password that is only known to you and is changed periodically. Also, download applications only from trusted, official sources like Google Play or the Apple App Store.