Want to see something really creepy? I mean, really creepy?
MobileMonitor is a jailbreak app that just appeared in Cydia, and as its name implies, it lets you monitor mobile devices remotely.
It really has to be seen to be understood, but MobileMonitor basically allows you to track virtually every facet of an iPhone’s usage remotely, completely unknown to the user of the device. Full video inside…
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ-TCDuzsyk[/tube]
Even a so-called iPhone expert could be duped into thinking their iPhone was completely scot-free of MobileMonitor. It doesn’t show up in the Home screen, Settings, or a Spotlight search. It doesn’t even show up in Mobile Substrate add-ons via SBSettings. In-fact, MobileMonitor is so stealthy that it’ll even prevent you from viewing the app’s details in Cydia if it happens to be installed on your device.
But that’s not even the most frightening aspect of MobileMonitor. No, that’s reserved for the mobile monitoring web application that’s accessible from any browser.
Once logged in to the MobileMonitor website, one can essentially track a person’s iPhone usage down to the pictures they take. Like I was saying, scary stuff.
But pictures are just the beginning; you can track SMS messages, phone calls, GPS coordinates, notes, browser history, call history, and virtually anything else that’s logged to a database in iOS.
As a testament to how thorough the tracking is, the MobileMonitor app makes you agree to terms and conditions of EULA like proportions. Obviously, they want to cover their behinds in case any legal ramifications stem from MobileMonitor’s use.
Best case scenario, it can help parents track their children’s iPhone usage and employers track how employees are using company time. (Even still, that’s a little unnerving.)
Worst case scenario? Well, I’m sure your minds can come up with plenty of those, especially since you need a jailbroken device to use MobileMonitor, and most employers and parents aren’t exactly jailbreak savvy.
MobileMonitor offers a free 24 hour limited trial along with a $19.90 monthly premium service for the full shebang.
I can’t help but think that this is downright scary stuff that’s just waiting for unscrupulous individuals to take advantage of, but perhaps I’m just fear mongering a bit.
If anything is learned from this, it’s that you shouldn’t just arbitrarily install apps and tweaks on your device without knowing what they are, and where they’re from. By doing so, you’re opening yourself to significant risk, as demonstrated in the video.