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Polish spyware maker LetMeSpy made Android spyware that gave the installer pretty much a full copy of what was going on with the target phone: copies of text messages, call logs, real-time location data. It did require password access to the phone, and the software was almost impossible to detect and remove because there was no visible home screen icon.
They were hacked a couple of months ago, and the hackers - after removing the database containing the data the company had stolen - trashed their servers. LetMeSpy has thrown in the towel and is ceasing operations as of the end of the month.
Another interesting bit from the article: "A copy of the database was obtained by nonprofit transparency collective DDoSecrets, which indexes leaked datasets in the public interest, and shared with TechCrunch for analysis. The data showed that LetMeSpy, until recently, had been used to steal data from more than 13,000 compromised Android devices worldwide, though LetMeSpy’s website claimed prior to the breach that it controlled more than 236,000 devices."
I'm guessing either they did not have good backups of their operational and development data, or the PR light is too bright for them. Regardless, good riddance to bad rubbish.
This is the second spyware company that has shut down after reporting by Tech Crunch!
https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/05/letmespy-spyware-shuts-down-wiped-server/
https://it.slashdot.org/story/23/08/07/2036229/spyware-maker-letmespy-shuts-down-after-hacker-deletes-server-data
I prefer iPhones over Android, and this is one reason. While they are not impervious to spyware, it's much harder for such software to take root. Not that I'm terribly concerned about being a target for such.
They were hacked a couple of months ago, and the hackers - after removing the database containing the data the company had stolen - trashed their servers. LetMeSpy has thrown in the towel and is ceasing operations as of the end of the month.
Another interesting bit from the article: "A copy of the database was obtained by nonprofit transparency collective DDoSecrets, which indexes leaked datasets in the public interest, and shared with TechCrunch for analysis. The data showed that LetMeSpy, until recently, had been used to steal data from more than 13,000 compromised Android devices worldwide, though LetMeSpy’s website claimed prior to the breach that it controlled more than 236,000 devices."
I'm guessing either they did not have good backups of their operational and development data, or the PR light is too bright for them. Regardless, good riddance to bad rubbish.
This is the second spyware company that has shut down after reporting by Tech Crunch!
https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/05/letmespy-spyware-shuts-down-wiped-server/
https://it.slashdot.org/story/23/08/07/2036229/spyware-maker-letmespy-shuts-down-after-hacker-deletes-server-data
I prefer iPhones over Android, and this is one reason. While they are not impervious to spyware, it's much harder for such software to take root. Not that I'm terribly concerned about being a target for such.
