How to check your devices for Stalkerware

There are some additional permissions that stalkerware applications on macOS are likely to need: From System Preferences, go to Security and Privacy, and so Privacy. Check the inputs for Input monitoring and Full disk access, since spyware will often need these permissions. Windows doesn’t have exactly the same settings, but you can see the permissions that the apps have (including location, camera access, etc.) by selecting Privacy from the Settings menu and scrolling down to App permissions.

As we have said, if your employer is watching your workday, the tools must be visible and working with your knowledge. But if you’re really concerned, a full system reboot for Windows or macOS should remove most of the hidden monitoring tools, if you suspect one has been rooted (just be sure to back up your files first).

How to verify your accounts

For someone who wants to invade someone’s privacy, it is often easier to access their accounts online rather than trying to access their devices. With almost everything accessible on the web, from social media to email, it is much more effective.

With that in mind, in addition to verifying unauthorized access to your devices, you should also verify unauthorized access to your accounts. Obviously this starts with protecting your usernames and passwords – make sure they are known only to you, hard to guess, not used across multiple accounts, and not written anywhere. Consider using a password manager to keep those passwords secure, random, and different for every account you have. For accounts where available, enable two-factor authentication.

If there is an unwanted visitor on your accounts, you should be able to find evidence of it. For Facebook, for example, open your settings page in a browser and click Security and login to see all the devices where your account is active (and to log out of those you don’t recognize). For Gmail on the web, click the Details button in the lower right corner to see other active sessions.

Some mobile apps, like WhatsApp and Snapchat, can only be used on one device, so you know that the login you are using is the only asset. However, this is not the case for all applications: on Instagram, for example, if you open the application settings, tap Security activity and loginYou can see a list of all the devices linked to your account. To remove a device, tap the three dots next to any of the entries, then Sign off.