Hackers are getting a bad reputation due to movie references and the fact that a lot of them are responsible for data theft and fraudulent activities. But, not all of them are bad. There is such a thing as good hackers and a couple of them just saved a couple thousand people from being spied on.
Hackers Looking Out for People
The identity of the hackers is not known, but they claim to be behind the deletion of data and other information taken from victims without their consent. They did so by accessing WebDetetive, a spyware firm that is able to monitor unknowing users.
The spyware allows the firm to access its victims' devices for citizen surveillance or stalking purposes, boasting of being able to listen to phone calls and track locations without being detected, all of which will cost "less than a cup of coffee," according to Engadget.
All the victims have to do is download an app, one that appears normal and claims to have a different function so that the user won't suspect it. Evidently, it's effective, given that more than 76,000 devices have already been infected with spyware.
WebDetetive has accumulated around 1.5 GB of data in its servers, all of which have already been deleted by the hackers. According to a note from the responsible party, they did it out of hate for the firm, stating: "#f***stalkerware."
In order to prove that the hackers successfully deleted the data from the servers of the spyware firm, they shared a cache of data that shows what they were able to remove. They have also made it so the firm will not be able to do it again.
How to Detect and Protect Yourself from Spyware
There's a slim chance that you might have downloaded spyware and an even more unlikely chance that you're among the owners of the 76,000 devices freed of it. Regardless, it's still quite possible for you to accidentally download it, that is if you don't already have spyware on your device.
An infected device can prove to be dangerous since you'll never know what kind of data it will be able to collect. It can access your device remotely, record audio and video, as well as collect your browser history and passwords.
Through those, threat actors can easily gather necessary sensitive data to conduct fraudulent activities. You'll notice changes in your device when it's infected. For one, it will start running slower and you'll get more pop-up ads than usual, as per Avast.
Web searches may redirect you to other websites and your homepage will have some changes. You can check your apps to see if there are icons that you don't recall installing, or if your apps start getting errors even if they have functioned normally before.
To prevent such things from happening, you can install trust-worthy antivirus software, which will prevent, detect, and remove malware from your device. It's also advisable to keep your OS updated. When you receive suspicious emails or pop-ups, refrain from opening them.
