Tech giant Google (GOOGL) has shut down Catwatchful, a phone surveillance app that was secretly using the company’s Firebase platform to store and operate its spyware. The move happened about a month after TechCrunch notified Google that Catwatchful was holding stolen data from thousands of hacked phones on Google’s servers. Interestingly, Catwatchful targeted Android devices and disguised itself as a child-monitoring app. Unfortunately, it was often misused for stalking partners or other non-consensual surveillance.
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To install the app, someone needed physical access to the target’s phone, which was usually gained by knowing the passcode. Once installed, it hid itself from the home screen and quietly uploaded private messages, photos, location data, and more to a web dashboard controlled by the person who planted it. However, in June, TechCrunch discovered a major flaw in Catwatchful’s systems that left its database wide open without requiring a password, thereby exposing sensitive information about both victims and paying customers.
The exposed data included details from over 26,000 infected devices, along with more than 62,000 customer email addresses and plaintext passwords. It also identified the app’s creator as Omar Soca Charcov, who is a developer based in Uruguay. Since there was no sign that Charcov planned to notify the affected users, TechCrunch shared the data with Have I Been Pwned, which is a site that warns people about breaches. It is worth noting that Catwatchful is now one of several spyware operations in recent years that have leaked sensitive information.
Is Google Stock a Good Buy?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on GOOGL stock based on 28 Buys and nine Holds assigned in the past three months. Furthermore, the average GOOGL price target of $215.11 per share implies 11.6% upside potential.
