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In 2022, Kaspersky security solutions detected 1,661,743 malware or unwanted software installers, targeting mobile users. Although the most common way of distributing such installers is through third-party websites and dubious app stores, their authors every now and then manage to upload them to official stores, such as Google Play. These are usually policed vigorously, and apps are pre-moderated before being published; however, the authors of malicious and unwanted software employ a variety of tricks to bypass platform checks. For instance, they may upload a benign application, then update it with malicious or dubious code infecting both new users and those who have already installed the app. Malicious apps get removed from Google Play as soon as they are found, but sometimes after having been downloaded a number of times.
