Dark web vendors are creating their own mobile apps

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In the first episode to cover dark web trends that will affect 2023 and beyond, we start afresh by looking at a trend that you will be accustomed to seeing with all digital goods and services - the option to use a dedicated mobile app. But now it’s no longer just eCommerce stores enticing you to download their latest apps, but also dark web vendors seeking to better reach customers beyond forums and marketplaces.

Dark web vendors using mobile apps for increased control

Analysts, known as the HUNTER Team from the cyber security company Resecurity have recently completed an investigation into how some notable dark web vendors, mainly from the Russian-speaking world, are still vying for cybercrime dominance since the closure of the Hydra Marketplace. And what better way to entice fraudsters than by improving their service UX, in this case, with convenient-to-use Android mobile apps. To date, such mobile apps offered on the dark web have been mainly used to sell drugs - so why should anyone involved in risk management and anti-fraud need to concern themselves with mobile apps built by online drug dealers?

Listen to Nethone’s Intelligence Specialist Michał Barbaś explain why dark web vendors offer mobile apps to their users and what it could mean for the future of fraud.