In a blog post published on April 10, Kaspersky researchers reported their findings of a thorough analysis of nine of the most well-known Dark Web forums. They discovered a booming market of buyers and sellers exchanging access to botnets, malicious Android applications, and app developer accounts for hundreds of dollars at a time by monitoring activities between 2019 and 2023. 

Some highly valuable products, such as source code that can let a threat actor hack into an existing cryptocurrency or a dating app on Google Play can cost several thousand dollars. 

"It's an infinite cat and mouse game[…]The attackers find a way to bypass security scanners. Then the people developing the security scanners deploy patches to ensure that doesn't happen again. Then the attackers find new flaws. And it goes on and on," says Georgy Kucherin, Kaspersky research with regards to Google’s app security. 

The Marketplace for Google Play Hacks 

Any program that is posted to the Apple or Google app stores undergoes a rigorous inspection. However, according to the Kaspersky researchers “just like any security solution that exists in the world, it's not 100% effective[…]Every scanner contains flaws that threat actors exploit to upload malware to Google Play." 

Commonly, there are two methods by with a hacker attempts to sneak malware onto an app store: 

• The first method entails publishing a completely safe software to the app store. If it has been approved, or even better, if it has attracted a sizable enough audience, hackers will submit an update that contains the malicious code. 

• The second involves hackers compromising legitimate app developers, accessing their accounts to upload malware to already-existing programs. With no two-factor authentication and strong password restrictions in place, app developer accounts are more vulnerable to hacking. Credential leaks occasionally enable hackers to accomplish the majority of their goals by giving them access to important company development systems and accounts. 

Moreover, depending on the developer, access to a Google Play account may only cost as little as $60, depending on the developer. However, other, more beneficial accounts, resources, and services have significantly greater costs. 

For example, considering the power they hold, loaders — the software necessary to deploy malicious code into an Android app — can cost big bucks on the darknet markets, ranging up to a whopping $5,000 each for an instance. 

A well-resourced criminal could well go with a premium package, like the source code for a loader. 

 "You can do whatever you want with that — deploy it to as many apps as you want[…]You can modify the code as much as you want, adapting it to your needs. And the original developer of the code may even provide support, like updates for the code, and maybe new ways to bypass security measures," Kucherin explains. 

How Can a Company Protect Itself from Google Play Threats 

The threats posed by Google Play are a cause of great concern to organizations, especially the ones with feeble enterprise security. Kucherin notes that many businesses still have lax bring-your-own-device arrangements in place, which extend the security perimeter outside of corporate networks and right into the hands of its employees. 

"Say an employee installs a malicious app on the phone[…]If this app turns out to be a stealer, cybercriminals can get access to, for example, corporate emails or sensitive corporate data, then they can upload it to their servers and sell it on the Dark Web. Or even worse: An employee might keep their passwords in, for example, their phone's notes app. Then hackers can steal those notes and get access to corporate infrastructure," he explains. 

In order to prevent such severe outcomes, Kucherin suggests two simple precautionary measures: 

One, you can teach the employees cyber-hygiene principles, like not downloading apps that are not trusted. However, this might not suffice, so "another thing you can do — though it's more expensive — is give your employees a separate phone, which they will use only for purposes of work. Those devices will contain a limited number of apps — just the essentials like email, phone, no other apps allowed,” he adds. 

Just as it is for the cybercriminals, you have to pay more to get more, he notes: "Using dedicated work devices is more effective, but more expensive."