🕵️♂️ Advanced Spyware Detection — Module 7
1) Theory — What modern spyware actually does
Spyware isn’t just data theft — it’s surveillance and control. Advanced strains can monitor messages and calls in real time, record audio, track location, capture screens (including banking apps), and exfiltrate it all to a third party.
- Capabilities: live comms access, mic recordings, GPS tracking, screen capture, covert exfiltration.
- Threat classes: criminal, corporate, and state-sponsored (e.g., Pegasus).
- Footprints: logs, backup artifacts, and config residues — what tools like MVT analyze.
1.1 What is MVT?
Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) is an open-source forensic toolkit from Amnesty International. It inspects iOS and Android via backups, logs, and device artifacts to flag indicators of compromise.
1.2 How to use MVT — step by step
📱 Android (ADB method)
- Install Python and MVT on your computer.
- Enable Developer options and USB debugging on the device.
- Connect via USB.
- Run:
mvt-android check-adb --output ./results - Review the ./results folder for red flags.
🍏 iPhone (iTunes backup method)
- Install Python and MVT on your computer.
- Create a full unencrypted iTunes backup.
- Run:
mvt-ios check-backup -i /path/to/backup -o ./results - Check ./results for suspicious findings.
Note: MVT detects traces/indicators. If a threat leaves no artifact, no tool can guarantee detection.
2) Real-world context
High-risk journalist: Device showed unusual battery drain and SMS prompts. An unencrypted iTunes backup analyzed with MVT flagged domains linked to known spyware infrastructure. The team rotated devices, updated OS, and hardened messaging app settings. Lesson: artifacts + disciplined workflow beat guesswork.
3) Assessment — 10 Questions
Choose the best answer for each question. Answers and feedback appear after you submit.
4) Finish
When you’re done, mark this module as completed to update your Premium Hub progress.