VietNamNet Bridge – The Hanoi police on June 28 started legal proceedings against Viet Hong Company for selling spy software, affecting more than 14,000 mobile subscribers.

Urging of prosecution of spyware case brings spotlight to larger problem

Private firm “spying” on 14,000 mobile phone subscribers

Firm steals smartphone users' info

The police also detained four staff of the company on the charge of “illegally using information in computer networks” under Article 226 of the Penal Code.

According to the Hanoi Police's hi-tech crimes division (PC50), Viet Hong Company, based in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan District and headed by Nguyen Viet Hung and Dang Hong Dang, has developed and sold two types of spy mobile software - the Ptracker app for individuals and PtrackerERP app for businesses - since June 2013.

The apps allow users to track other people's Android phones, read their SMS messages and contact books and record their phone calls without their knowledge.

The app can even turn on features like camera, 3G or GPRS connections of the target devices from the tracker phone.

The stolen information was archived on Viet Hong's servers and accessed by using a paid account to log in to the company's website.

Colonel Le Hong Son, PC50 chief said since Viet Hong launched the app, it has provided Ptracker to 14,140 subscribers to earn about 900 million VND (43,000 USD).

Currently, 7,447 subscribers to the illegal service are still registered in the servers of the company, and about 600 of the accounts are valid, he said.

Initial investigation results showed that Viet Hong company’s actions of creating and installing of malicious software on digital devices for the purposes of collecting personal information or taking control of said devices violated a series of regulations and articles stated in the Information Technology Law.

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