April 12, 2023
A new report by Kaspersky reveals that malware developers have created a thriving market for adding malicious Android apps to Google Play. The services, which cost anywhere between $2,000 to $20,000 depending on the type of malicious behavior requested by cybercriminals, are offered via Telegram, dark web marketplaces, and hacking forums that allow threat actors to promote their services.
Malware developers promise to hide malware in legitimate-looking apps that impersonate antivirus programs, cryptocurrency asset managers, QR-code scanners, small games, and dating apps. The malicious but innocuous-looking apps are published on Google Play but include the ability to fetch malicious code via a later update.
Kaspersky reports that apart from Google Play loaders, which sell for an average of roughly $7,000, cybercriminals also sell services like malware obfuscation for $8 to $30 or “clean” Google developer accounts that cost $60. These services guarantee that the app will remain on Google Play for at least one week, with some developers promising at least 5,000 installs.
Upon installation, the malware loader apps request the user to grant risky permissions like access to the phone’s camera, microphone, or Accessibility Services, and prevent access to the app’s main functions until the requests are approved.
To promote these loaders, the sellers publish videos showcasing their features, user-friendly interface, granular targeting filters, and more. “Cybercriminals may also supplement the trojanized app with functionality for detecting a debugger or sandbox environment,” explains Kaspersky.
To defend against these stealthy attacks, Android users should carefully review the requested permissions upon app installation, check user comments on Google Play, and keep the number of installed apps at a minimum. Even more important, users should never install Android APKs from third-party sites, as they are a common distribution method for malware.
The sources for this piece include an article in BleepingComputer.
