Kaspersky has published a very new tool “TinyCheck” to celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the first anniversary of starting the Coalition Against Stalkerware.
Stalkerware are the software that enables the users to spy on people through their devices and are often utilized to constrain the partner. According to Kaspersky, there is an 18% yearly rise in Stalkerware usage on mobile devices in the META region.
Moreover, in just one year, the organization has developed a lot, from 10 establishing members to a large international working group of 26 partners. And some new members have recently joined the Coalition, including Certo Software, ECHAP, the German Institute for Technology and Journalism (ITUJ eV), Traced Ltd, and WESNET.
TinyCheck – Stalkerware detection tool
The security experts at Kaspersky has affirmed that TinyCheck allows the users to capture network communications from a smartphone or any device connected to a Wi-Fi access point in a series to analyze them instantly.
And this tool can be used to check if any unusual or ill-disposed communication is outgoing from a smartphone by utilizing heuristics or special Indicators of Compromise (IoCs).
Users can also go with another option, and according to the experts, that are the best choice to perform; the user can use a Raspberry Pi (3+) with a Wi-Fi dongle and a small touch screen. This short configuration easily allows the user to tap anywhere on the screen of the Wi-Fi device.
What is Stalkerware?
Stalkerware is a term that refers to a diversity of harmful programs and apps that are meant to stalk you. The primary aim of Stalkerware is to strengthen the exchange between organizations working to resist domestic violence and abuses that are perpetrated by exploiting technology.
Stalkerware involves keystroke loggers, location monitoring apps, invasive email, text readers, and remote access features that can take command of your webcam and microphone.
Initial idea
The initial idea was to produce a tiny kiosk device based on Raspberry Pi, which can be utilized by non-tech people to test their smartphones against ill-disposed communications that are issued by a stalker and any spyware.
Not only this, but TinyCheck can also be utilized to spot any malicious communications from cybercrime or state-sponsored implants.
Utilizes
TinyCheck can be practiced in several ways by individuals, and here are the uses mentioned below:-
- Over a network – TinyCheck is installed on a network and can be obtained from a workstation through a browser.
- In kiosk mode – TinyCheck can be utilized as a kiosk to enable visitors to test their own devices.
- Fully standalone – By using a power bank, you can touch any device anywhere.
How to analyze your smartphone?
If you want to analyze your smartphone via this tool, then you have to follow some steps that we have mentioned below:-
- Disable your mobile or cellular data.
- Now you have to close all the opened apps.
- Then you have to attach your smartphone to the Wi-Fi network created by TinyCheck.
- After that, you have to communicate with your smartphone.
- Now you have to stop the capture.
- Then investigate the capture.
- Now finally, you have to save the capture on a USB key or by direct download.
How to install?
For installing the TinyCheck, you have to arrange and follow the following procedure and items:-
- A Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi OS.
- Two working Wi-Fi interfaces.
- A working internet connection.
- A small touchscreen previously installed for the kiosk mode of TinyCheck, expressly advised by the experts.
This open-source tool is simple to use as it is based on the Raspberry Pi. The TinyCheck examines the traffic coming out of a mobile device and recognizes interactions with known ill-disposed sources, like the spyware-related servers.
But, here, the main motive of TinyCheck is to assist non-profit organizations, such as service providers, support victims of domestic violence to defend them and preserve their secrecy and privacy.
You can find the complete details of the tools and the code in GitHub.
