Massive Stalkerware Apps Go Dark After Data Breach Exposes Millions of Users

A few apps categorized as stalkerware have gone dark after their services stopped working, and their websites disappeared overnight.

Stalkerware apps, which are used to spy on people, pose a problem that's drawing little scrutiny, which is one of the main reasons why they're so popular. People usually hear about them in the media when they're used to spy on journalists, dissidents or even entire organizations, but the sad reality is that stalkerware is also a tool used in spousal abuse.

You might even think finding these stalkerware apps is difficult, but some can even be found in official app stores. While Google might allow these types of apps on their platform, the Bitdefender Mobile Security solution will inform users that the software can be used to spy on people.

In fact, many of these apps are advertised as parental control software, but the same app can be used for much more insidious purposes.

Unclear why these apps are gone

A TechCrunch report from March 2025, noted that a security researcher, who chose to remain anonymous, found a bug in Cocospy and Spyic that would allow attackers to see the email addresses of people who signed up, intending to plant the app on another person's device covertly.

Now, a second report found that the Cocospy, Spyic, and Spyzie apps have gone dark. The apps and their dashboards no longer work, and the websites have been closed.

An initial investigation of these apps found that they were using, at least in part, Amazon Web Services to host their servers. Now, it looks like their Amazon cloud storage is gone. It's unclear whether Amazon pulled the plug or if the data breach forced them to shut down.

It's important to note that the apps shared much of the same codebase and appeared to be run by the same operators. Also, it's not unusual for apps like these to close shop and rebrand as something else, especially after a cybersecurity incident.

How to protect yourself

It's always a good idea to keep your device safe with Bitdefender Mobile Security, a solution that detects and blocks stalkerware apps, even those that come from official sources. Its cloud-powered engine couples AV-TEST's top-rated malware scanner with real-time behavior analysis, web filtering, and privacy controls—delivering stalkerware-proofing that's both smarter and lighter on battery.

• These are just a few of the many features that will keep you safe from
• On-install and on-demand malware scanning
• Web Protection + Scam Alert – blocks phishing pages and malicious links in browsers, texts and chat apps, stopping stalkerware before it can ever be side-loaded
• App Lock & Anti-Theft – seal private chats and photos behind biometrics