An alarming discovery has just been revealed in the world of cybersecurity: two surveillance applications, Cocospy and Spyic, present a vulnerability major breach exposing the personal data of millions of users.
A cybersecurity researcher has uncovered a flaw in two apps, Cocospy and Spyic, designed to discreetly spy on smartphones. This breach would allow easy access to the servers of these applications, which would have already allowed hackers to extract no less than 1.81 million email addresses linked to Cocospy and 880,167 for Spyic. In total, 2.65 million unique addresses were compromised, revealing the worrying scale of the use of these surveillance tools.
The seriousness of this leak is not limited to email addresses. The researcher was also able to access a multitude of sensitive data collected by these applications: messages, photos, call logs and much other personal information. This situation highlights the considerable risks associated with the use of such software, both for users and for those being monitored without their knowledge.
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The dangers of stalkerware exposed
This security flaw raises many questions about the ethics and legality of surveillance applications. Although often presented as parental control or professional monitoring tools, these applications are frequently used in contexts of harassment or domestic violence.
The way these applications work is particularly insidious. On Android, they require physical access to the device to be installed, then camouflage themselves under generic names such as "System Service". For iOS devices, they exploit iCloud credentials to access data stored in the cloud.
In the face of this threat, it is crucial to remain vigilant. To check for these apps on an Android device, you can enter the code “**001**” in the Phone app. On iOS, it is recommended to secure your Apple account with a unique password and enable two-factor authentication.
Since 2017, no fewer than 23 surveillance operations have been compromised by similar flaws. For potential victims, it is essential to stay informed and take steps to protect your digital privacy.
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