Kaspersky has unveiled updated versions of TinyCheck, its free and open-source stalkerware detection tool.
TinyCheck is a one-of-a-kind, cutting-edge tool for detecting stalkerware on mobile devices. Kaspersky launched a new TinyCheck hub, highlighting its latest developments and changes to how it can be used.
Following a conversation between Kaspersky and a French women’s shelter, TinyCheck was developed in 2019. Although the group was helping a growing number of stalkerware victims, it was unsure of how to handle the issue technologically. They required a system that would be untraceable, simple to use, and capable of aiding in the gathering of evidence. Kaspersky researchers started looking for a solution.
Since TinyCheck was created as a free, open-source utility, anyone can download it and make improvements to the program. Instead of being installed on a smartphone, TinyCheck makes use of an external Raspberry Pi microprocessor. With the help of TinyCheck, stalkerware can be easily, quickly, and non-intrusively found on a victim’s device. Any OS can run it without letting the perpetrator know.
TinyCheck is secure to use and only interacts with the web servers/IPs that the smartphone talks with, not the contents of a person’s communications (SMS, emails, etc.). In other words, TinyCheck won’t be able to tell who or what someone is talking to. An analyzed device’s network capture is never disclosed; neither Kaspersky nor any other party will see this information. Every analysis is carried out locally.
Over the years, more and more NGOs have been testing and implementing TinyCheck. Bruno Pérez Juncá, honorary member of the Stop Gender Violence Association shares his experience with TinyCheck: “I have been working with gender violence associations for many years and TinyCheck is what the victims and the general population need. TinyCheck is similar to an antigens test; a quick, economic and reliable test to perform an initial inspection that can identify a mobile infection.”
The TinyCheck hub is a great resource for finding out more about the tool and its uses as well as getting in touch with the team to offer suggestions for its future development. Kaspersky is constantly looking for new collaborators to help spread the word about the serious issues of spyware and stalkerware and to develop new strategies for helping their victims.
