14 DAY TRIAL // The first criminal case involving selling and advertising spyware designed for mobile devices has been built against a Pakistani national who promoted the StealthGenie app; he was arrested on Saturday in Los Angeles.
StealthGenie’s capabilities include surreptitious monitoring of phone calls, incoming and outgoing text messages along with other forms of communication on mobile devices. Selling this type of tools is illegal since they can be used for malicious activities and represent a risk to the privacy of the mobile phone user.
31-year-old Hammad Akbar of Lahore, Pakistan, CEO of InvoCode, has been indicted for advertising and selling StealthGenie online. Together with other developers, he allegedly created the spying tool that is compatible with popular mobile platforms like Android, iOS and BlackBerry.
The charges brought against Akbar include conspiracy, sale of a surreptitious interception device, advertising a known interception device and advertising a device as a surreptitious interception device.
App allows complete communication monitoring and control of the phone
StealthGenie is allegedly untraceable to mobile phone users and requires one-time physical access to the device for installation. All reports can be accessed through the web browser, from any Internet-connected device.
Apart from intercepting calls, texts and location (via GPS), the list of features includes access to different message exchange apps (Facebook, Gmail, WhatsApp, iMessage, BBM, Viber, Skype), browser data (history, bookmarks), contacts, calendar, as well as multimedia files.
Moreover, the app can be used to live listen to and record the phone’s surroundings, as well as for receiving notifications when the SIM card is changed, certain words are used or in the case of suspicious phone numbers calling in.
Control of the device is also on the list of features, allowing the operator to restrict access to the device by locking it, deleting the data on it, or delivering various remote control commands.
Invasion of privacy is a criminal offense
The indictment document says that StealthGenie was built to serve a simple purpose: quenching cheating suspicions of the romantic partner, be them wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend.
Simply monitoring them out of jealousy was also advertised as a potential purpose.
“StealthGenie has little use beyond invading a victim’s privacy” said U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente, adding that “advertising and selling spyware technology is a criminal offense, and such conduct will be aggressively pursued by this office and our law enforcement partners.”
In the eyes of the law, such apps enable stalkers, domestic abusers, as well as criminals to find out personal, private details about a targeted individual.
“As technology continues to evolve, the FBI will investigate and bring to justice those who use illegal means to monitor and track individuals without their knowledge,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Andrew McCabe of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
On September 26, the website hosting the app was temporarily disabled by the FBI based on a restraining order issued by a federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia.