There’s an entire industry built around apps designed to secretly monitor other people’s phones. Known as stalkerware, these tools are often marketed to suspicious partners who want to track their significant others. But while the concept itself is troubling, the reality is even worse: these companies have repeatedly failed to secure highly sensitive data.
Since 2017, at least 26 stalkerware companies have been breached or have leaked personal information. Just this year, Catwatchful joined that list when it exposed data dating back to 2018, affecting nearly 26,000 individuals. Other incidents involved companies like SpyX, Cocospy, and Spyic, whose flaws left messages, photos, and private details vulnerable online.
These breaches are rarely isolated events. Some companies, such as mSpy and pcTattletale, have been compromised more than once. Even when hackers weren’t involved, poor security practices often left databases open for anyone to access. In one case, SpyFone stored sensitive information on an unprotected cloud server, including text messages and location data from unsuspecting victims.
Hackers who target these companies say they do it to expose an industry built on unethical behavior. In some breaches, attackers wiped servers clean and publicly shamed spyware makers for profiting from people’s private lives. While a handful of companies have shut down, others simply rebrand and return under new names.
Experts point out that stalkerware developers often care little about security or ethics. According to Eva Galperin, a leading cybersecurity advocate, these businesses are “soft targets” because their owners aren’t serious about protecting data or ensuring their products are used responsibly. Even when their operations crumble, the same people often start again with a fresh logo and website.
Using these apps isn’t just morally questionable—it’s often illegal. Secretly surveilling a partner typically violates privacy laws, and even when parents install spyware to monitor children, the practice raises serious ethical concerns. There are safer, more transparent parental controls built into devices that don’t rely on hidden monitoring.
Ultimately, stalkerware companies have proven time and again they can’t be trusted to safeguard private information. Between repeated hacks, accidental leaks, and a track record of enabling abuse, these apps create risks for everyone involved. Whether you’re tempted to use them or simply concerned about your own security, the evidence is clear: stalkerware is dangerous, and no one should rely on it.
