Google's move to shut down the spyware operation comes a month after TechCrunch alerted the technology giant the operator was hosting the operation on Firebase, one of Google's developer platforms. Catwatchful relied on Firebase to host and store vast amounts of data stolen from thousands of phones compromised by its spyware. When asked by TechCrunch, Google would not say why it took a month to investigate and suspend the operation's Firebase account. The company's own terms of use broadly prohibit its customers from hosting malicious software or spyware operations on its platforms. As a for-profit company, Google has a commercial interest in retaining customers who pay for its services. Catwatchful was an Android-specific spyware that presented itself as a child-monitoring app 'undetectable' to the user. Much like other phone spyware apps, Catwatchful required its customers to physically install it on a person's phone, which usually requires prior knowledge of their passcode. These...
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