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Under the EU Digital Markets Act, mobile platforms like Google Play and Apple App Store will need to permit their users to download applications from other app stores than just themselves.
Recent developments could be beneficial to both developers and consumers, yet brands must remain cautious of potential side-effects that arise due to malicious mobile applications claiming to represent trusted brands, emulating trusted names in order to take advantage of consumers who trust trusted names.
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If Apple Opens Up iPhone, Alternative App Stores
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration recently issued its report "Competition within the Mobile Application Ecosystem", in which they make recommendations to Apple and Google regarding app downloads from outside their official app stores. Their goal is "opening up the app ecosystem to greater competition, innovation and potential benefits to users and developers", since "market conditions do not provide equal playing fields that benefit both sides".
Under the EU Digital Markets Act, mobile platforms like Google Play and Apple App Store will need to permit their users to download applications from other app stores than just themselves.
Recent developments could be beneficial to both developers and consumers, yet brands must remain cautious of potential side-effects that arise due to malicious mobile applications claiming to represent trusted brands, emulating trusted names in order to take advantage of consumers who trust trusted names.
Apple Supposedly Plans to Allow "Sideloading on iOS 17"
Sideloading refers to the practice of installing and downloading apps from stores other than an official one, without authorisation from Apple. Apple is set to release iOS 17 later this year, and reports indicate it supports sideloading at least in Europe. Tech industry/companies appear to be complying with applicable regulations but have raised serious concerns regarding marketplace security for years now.
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App Developers are excited about the prospect of being able to distribute iOS apps without paying Apple 15-30% on annual sales, while fraudsters will relish this newfound ability as more consumers feel comfortable downloading apps from third party marketplaces and they can now trick users into installing fake ones.
Third-party marketplaces still need to determine their level of scrutiny for mobile apps submitted for publication on their platforms, yet Allure Security frequently finds unauthorized or malicious mobile apps being sold on these marketplaces
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Third Party App Stores and Online Brand Protection
Things always appear worse before they improve.
Fraudsters are exploiting emerging marketplaces to develop fake mobile applications that pose as trusted brands.
Brands face an uphill struggle when it comes to finding impersonations attempts online. Every day, billions of Facebook updates, hundreds of millions of tweets and millions of LinkedIn posts are made, not to mention hundreds of thousands of websites created - one or more of which could contain malicious attempts at impersonation.
Consider that thousands of apps are released daily on official app stores alone - not including third-party marketplaces - making the number of unauthorized mobile apps exponentially increase. Since it would be impossible to manually monitor every piece of content posted each day for brand impersonation attacks against your brand or customers (websites, social networks and app marketplaces included), Apple sideloading will only increase this burden and therefore any brand wanting to protect itself against brand impersonation attacks must automate monitoring threats that utilize their brand and minimize any possible harm that might result from such fake apps by automating monitoring these threats as soon as they arise.
Allure Security's research shows that third-party marketplaces also take great measures in reviewing apps; they publish some inspect apps to make sure they comply with security controls and do not infringe intellectual property rights, while some don't review any at all! The Apple App Store and Google Play have imperfect review processes but, at Allure Security, third-party marketplaces may provide even tighter oversight.
Read More: Ultimate Guide to iOS App Development 2023
Risks of a third-party mobile application marketplace for your brand include
- Free versions: If you have a mobile application that generates revenue for your company, it is clear what the impact would be if an unpaid, unauthorized version was released.
- Repackaging attacks: Scammers download legit apps from the official app store, insert malicious codes, and then redistribute the apps to steal credentials, identities, or payment details. Sideloading apps increases risk.
- Cloned apps of low quality: If a user downloads a copy of your app and it doesn't work or is slow, they may decide that you publish poor quality content. They will then move on to another app.
- Apps that are out-of-date and lack the latest security or functionality: The goal of app updates is to improve the mobile user experience while strengthening security. A version that is out of date can result in a poor experience, or worse, expose users to fraud such as identity theft, account takeover, and payment fraud.
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Inability to see apps that claim to be from your brand: Marketing and security teams want insights into how consumers interact with the brand online. Unauthorized applications published in locations they are unaware of go against that.
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How to Mitigate Brand Risk on Alternative App Stores
Do not be afraid to tell staff and customers how to download your application: Education will not eliminate the risk. Nevertheless, you should communicate frequently and clearly which marketplaces are authorized to distribute your app. Customer support staff can help you to find out where the mobile device user downloaded your app. These same staff should know how to report unidentified or unauthorized marketplaces that are publishing your app.
Document impersonations: When you find a mobile app that is impersonating a document, take screenshots and gather other information relevant to your takedown request.
Assess risks and benefits of third party app stores: Organizations must decide whether they want their customers to download apps from third-party shops. Weigh the risks and benefits to your business of allowing apps on other marketplaces than Apple App Store and Google Play, and the security and fraud risks.
Automated continuous monitoring of app marketplaces: Between the Apple App Store and Google Play store there are 97,000 Android apps released each day. The volume of apps is expected to rise significantly as more third-party stores enter the mainstream app marketplace. The manual search for fake mobile applications won't protect your brand in the future.
Assess the benefits of hiring a brand protection expert online like allure security: Online brand protection vendors are experienced in handling such issues, and they have playbooks that explain how to handle them. They also know the ins and outs of the abuse/takedown policy of third-party marketplaces.
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What you should do next
Contact us to learn how you can find and eliminate fake websites, deceptive profiles on social media, and unauthorized apps faster with Allure Security.
