A shadowy stalkerware company abruptly took down all its digital assets without much explanation, following a major security breach earlier this year. The fallout from this incident has left millions exposed, and the spyware ecosystem shaken.
Massive Leak Exposes Private Data From Millions
Back in February 2025, three widely used stalkerware apps—Spyzie, Cocospy, and Spyic—were hacked, spilling a treasure trove of highly sensitive data. Text messages, photos, GPS locations—everything was up for grabs on public platforms. The apps, often hidden on victims’ devices, suddenly had their secrets broadcasted for the world to see.
Danny Bradbury, a researcher at Malwarebytes Labs, revealed that about 3.2 million email addresses tied to customers who purchased and installed the spyware were also leaked. That’s a staggering number, considering many of those customers likely had intimate reasons for their purchase.
The vulnerability that led to this breach was initially uncovered by an anonymous security researcher. What’s chilling is how easy it was to exploit. The researcher declined to share details, worried about how accessible the flaw was to anyone with even minimal technical skills.
Websites and Apps Vanish; AWS Storage Wiped Clean
Almost overnight, the company’s websites vanished. No trace remained of the ads for these spyware tools, and the apps themselves seemingly disappeared from online stores. Digging deeper, investigators found that the company behind these apps also ran a slew of other tracking products with names like FamiSoft Limited, Teensafe, Spyier, Neatspy, Fonemonitor, Spyine, and Minspy.
All of these have now been shut down. The company’s Amazon Web Services storage—which held mountains of sensitive data—was deleted as well. This move has left experts wondering if it was a last-ditch effort to cover tracks and limit legal exposure.
The Dark Side of Stalkerware: Victims Twice Over
Stalkerware apps, while technically legal in some regions, have always stirred controversy. Bradbury pointed out that these apps are often weaponized by abusive partners to secretly monitor victims. The people being tracked rarely know what’s happening—sometimes they are coerced into installing the apps themselves.
“They are victimized twice: once when an individual invades their privacy, and twice when crummy infrastructure exposes their information more widely,” Bradbury wrote. It’s a harsh reality that victims have to face not just the emotional toll of surveillance, but also the risk of their data being leaked publicly.
This incident shines a harsh light on how poorly these companies handle user data. You’d expect spyware sellers, of all people, to be extra careful with secrets—but apparently not.
A History of Spyware Breaches and Unauthorized Access
This isn’t the first time spyware has gone off the rails. Just last year, an app called pcTattletale was discovered inside several US Wyndham hotels’ networks. It was what Eric Daigle, who found it, called “simple stalkerware,” but its impact was anything but simple.
The app managed to capture screenshots of hotel booking systems, revealing guest and customer info without any authorization. And like the recent stalkerware breach, bugs in pcTattletale’s code left those screenshots open for anyone to find online.
It’s a nasty pattern—spyware apps, which inherently invade privacy, frequently suffer from their own security failures, exposing users and innocent bystanders alike.
How to Check If You’re Being Watched
If you’re worried about stalkerware sneaking onto your Android device, there’s a quick way to check. Dialing 001 and pressing the call button can reveal hidden apps installed on your phone. If anything suspicious shows up, it’s time to take action.
Keeping an eye on your device’s apps is crucial because stalkerware doesn’t advertise itself. It hides. It’s like having a ghost in your pocket, watching your every move without permission.
What This Means Going Forward
The disappearance of this stalkerware company leaves many questions unanswered. Why exactly did they pull the plug? Was it fear of legal fallout? Damage control after reputational collapse? Or something else?
Whatever the reason, their sudden silence won’t stop the demand for these tools—or the dangers they bring. For now, the industry is left grappling with the fallout of exposed secrets and the chilling reminder that privacy is fragile, especially when companies built on surveillance fall apart.
