According to research from RiskIQ, there were 170,196 blacklisted apps in 2019 (a 20% reduction compared to the 213,279 reported in 2018)
[footnote 94]. However, they are
far from evenly distributed across different platforms and sources,
with the majority being Android-focused and linked to third-party stores. It was noted earlier that various app stores have review processes, but RiskIQ’s findings demonstrate that they vary in their effectiveness in terms of keeping malware out. Indeed, while the report describes both of the leading app stores as being “inhospitable for malicious apps”, it still notes a clear difference in the effectiveness of their restrictions. For example, it was observed that 25,647 blacklisted apps were identified in the Play Store during 2019, compared to an overall total of 714,678 newly observed apps (i.e. a malware concentration of 3.5%).
By contrast Apple’s approach was likened to Fort Knox, with malware ‘rarely’ finding its way into the App Store.