{"id":4333,"date":"2025-04-09T10:37:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T18:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.antivirusaz.com\/faq\/?post_type=ht_kb&#038;p=4333"},"modified":"2025-04-09T20:22:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T04:22:54","slug":"what-is-surveillanceware","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/www.antivirusaz.com\/faq\/art\/what-is-surveillanceware\/","title":{"rendered":"What is surveillanceware?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Surveillanceware<\/strong> is software designed to secretly monitor and record a user&#8217;s activities on a device. It can track location, log keystrokes, record calls, capture screenshots, and access messages, emails, or social media. While it\u2019s sometimes used by employers or governments for legitimate monitoring, it\u2019s also widely abused by hackers, <a href=\"\/faq\/art\/what-is-stalkerware-and-how-is-it-used-by-stalkers\/\">stalkers<\/a>, or abusive partners to spy on victims without consent. <strong>In function, it\u2019s very similar to <a href=\"\/security-center\/spyware.html\">classic spyware<\/a>\u2014both gather data in the background without the user\u2019s knowledge\u2014but surveillanceware often targets individuals more specifically and operates with stealthier, more invasive capabilities.<\/strong> It poses serious privacy and security risks, especially when used without clear legal or ethical justification.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some notable examples of <strong>surveillanceware<\/strong>, both commercial and state-linked:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"\/security-center\/virus-information\/pegasus-spyware.html\">Pegasus<\/a> (by NSO Group)<br \/>\n<\/strong>One of the most advanced and controversial surveillance tools, Pegasus can infect phones without any user interaction (zero-click). It can access messages, calls, camera, mic, and more. It&#8217;s been used by governments to target journalists, activists, and political opponents.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"\/security-center\/virus-information\/finfisher-spyware.html\">FinFisher<\/a> (aka FinSpy)<br \/>\n<\/strong>Sold to law enforcement and intelligence agencies, FinFisher can monitor nearly every aspect of a device\u2014calls, texts, files, webcam, and more. It\u2019s been found in politically motivated attacks in multiple countries.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"\/security-center\/virus-information\/flexispy.html\">FlexiSPY<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong>A commercial tool often marketed to employers and suspicious partners. It offers full access to a device\u2019s communications and is often installed manually. It&#8217;s considered <a href=\"\/faq\/art\/what-is-stalkerware-and-how-is-it-used-by-stalkers\/\">stalkerware<\/a> when used without consent.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"\/security-center\/virus-information\/mspy.html\">mSpy<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong>Another popular commercial app that markets itself for \u201cparental control\u201d but has been misused in domestic abuse cases. It logs texts, calls, GPS, and more, often running in stealth mode.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"\/security-center\/virus-information\/predator-spyware.html\">Predator<\/a> (by Cytrox)<br \/>\n<\/strong>Similar to Pegasus, Predator is used in targeted attacks against political figures and journalists. It\u2019s capable of deep surveillance and has been linked to government clients.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These tools highlight the blurred lines between lawful surveillance and abuse, especially when consent or oversight is missing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Surveillanceware is software designed to secretly monitor and record a user&#8217;s activities on a device. It can track location, log keystrokes, record calls, capture screenshots, and access messages, emails, or social media. While it\u2019s sometimes used by employers or governments for legitimate monitoring, it\u2019s also widely abused by hackers, stalkers, or abusive partners to spy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"ht-kb-category":[509],"ht-kb-tag":[534,535,552,553,551,554,544,550],"class_list":["post-4333","ht_kb","type-ht_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","ht_kb_category-malware","ht_kb_tag-finfisher","ht_kb_tag-finspy","ht_kb_tag-flexispy","ht_kb_tag-mspy","ht_kb_tag-pegasus","ht_kb_tag-predator","ht_kb_tag-spyware","ht_kb_tag-surveillanceware"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is surveillanceware?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.antivirusaz.com\/faq\/art\/what-is-surveillanceware\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is surveillanceware?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Surveillanceware is software designed to secretly monitor and record a user&#8217;s activities on a device. 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