Evading law enforcement and enhancing their privacy, darknet drug markets have begun using customized Android apps to traffic their illegal substances.
These apps not only make ordering quality medications a breeze, but also enable customers to chat with sellers and provide specific shipping instructions for delivery.
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At the beginning of the third quarter of 2022, Resecurity experts identified a new pattern in motion. It is suspected that it was caused by last year's extensive interventions in the darknet market, especially in the Hydra Market.
In April 2022, German authorities seized Hydra’s servers – stripping it of its position as the pre-eminent global leader in pharmaceutical sales. This bold move shook the industry and left 19,000 registered merchants and 17 million customers in limbo.
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Drug dealers are moving to Android
As Resecurity informs us today, various smaller companies have seized the opportunity to capture Hydra's lost user base after sharp decline .
Some of the well-known companies that have created Android app APKs for their customers to access their stores and services are the following:
- Yakuza
- TomFord24
- 24Deluxe
- PNTS32
- Flakka24
- 24Cana
- MapSTGK
As each of the seven products listed above uses a common M-Club CMS engine to build APKs , it seems logical that they would leverage similar developer services.
Resecurity has issued a stern warning that its experts have found multiple mobile apps on seized devices belonging to suspects who have been involved in criminal activities such as drug trafficking.
According to the Resecurity report, mobile phone apps offer a stress-free way to transfer medication order details and provide precise geographic coordinates of where couriers have left packages for pickup.
This type of information is sent in image form to avoid possible indexing. […] the notes may include details about how deep this “package” is buried underground or any other information needed to locate it.
When data is transferred to different applications, information becomes fragmented and hinders law enforcement's ability to track all activity and make arrests.
Resecurity predicts that by 2023, the majority of emerging marketplaces will be powered by Android apps, providing a more secure alternative to unprotected forums and open marketplace systems.
Rising forces
The most prominent platforms in the drug market have not yet engaged in adopting the Android app trend and are instead focused on the new battle for supremacy in the sector, which could give one of them a monopoly similar to what Hydra has achieved.
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Since Hydra's closure, the biggest gainers were RuTor, WayAway, Legalizer, OMG!, Solaris, and Nemesis, according to Resecurity.
Last summer was a remarkable period for these markets, as they welcomed an impressive number of 795,000 new users!
During this time of uncertainty, where there is no clear market leader and all sellers have questionable reputations, it can be extremely dangerous to buy medications from the dark web. Buying these items can put your health and life at risk!
Information source: bleepingcomputer.com
