AV-Comparatives Stalkerware Test 2025

Parkinsond

Parkinsond

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Detection Results​

The results show clear differences in performance between mobile security products. Malwarebytes stood out by detecting all stalkerware testcases, achieving a 100% detection rate. Bitdefender, ESET, Kaspersky, and McAfee followed closely with 94% each, showing consistently high effectiveness. Avast, Avira, and F-Secure also performed well, identifying 88% of the test set, while Norton and Sophos achieved moderate coverage, detecting around 82%. At the lower end, G Data (65%), Google (53%), and Trend Micro (59%) missed a substantial portion of the stalkerware.

www.av-comparatives.org

Stalkerware Test 2025

AV-Comparatives released the Stalkerware Test 2025 for Android security products in collaboration with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
www.av-comparatives.org www.av-comparatives.org
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Isn't stalkerware is the spyware? 🤔
 
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Parkinsond said:
Isn't stalkerware is the spyware? 🤔
Click to expand...
Yes, stalkerware is basically a type of spyware – but the term is used more specifically.

In short:
All stalkerware is spyware, but not all spyware is stalkerware.

Key differences:
  • Spyware (general term)
    Covers any software that secretly collects information about you without proper consent.
    Examples:
    • Banking trojans stealing credentials
    • Keyloggers grabbing everything you type
    • Adware tracking browsing habits
  • Stalkerware (more specific)
    Usually refers to commercial apps intentionally designed to monitor someone’s device and personal life, often by a partner, ex-partner, employer, or abusive individual.
    Typical capabilities:
    • Track GPS location in real time
    • Read SMS, WhatsApp, etc.
    • Record calls or ambient audio
    • View photos, contacts, call logs
    • Hide their presence or use misleading names/icons

Why a separate term is used:
  • Context & abuse – Stalkerware is tied to domestic abuse, harassment, and coercive control. So it’s treated as a serious privacy/safety issue, not just “another malware”.
  • Legal gray area – Many stalkerware apps are sold as “parental control” or “employee monitoring” but are clearly misused for spying on adults without consent.
  • Detection & labeling – AV vendors sometimes classify these as:
    • “Stalkerware”
    • “Monitoring tools”
    • “Riskware” or “PUA/PUP”
    because of legal and policy reasons, even though functionally they behave like spyware.

So in practical terms:
  • From a technical point of view, stalkerware = spyware focused on monitoring a specific victim.
  • From a policy/safety point of view, we call it “stalkerware” to highlight its role in surveillance and abuse, especially on mobile devices.

If you’re interested, that AV-Comparatives test you linked is precisely about how well mobile products detect this more “gray-zone” type of spyware, which many solutions historically under-detected or labeled too weakly.
 
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The vendors are just adding sex into the mix. Females are portrayed as more vulnerable to it. And perhaps the traditional stereotype is that females don't care much about technical stuff like viruses, so now they are are attempting to attract new customers. There is also a sizable portion of families where the female controls the spending budget. And if these women can be persuaded that AV's are worth spending on, then it is a win for the vendors.
 
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