超越应用市场：揭秘通过 Telegram 进行的地下移动应用分发
Beyond App Markets: Demystifying Underground Mobile App Distribution Via Telegram
AI总结：
本研究首次全面探索 Telegram 上的地下移动应用生态系统，构建新数据集，揭示其流行度、推广策略及恶意行为，为监管和防护提供洞见。
摘要：
在蓬勃发展的移动应用生态系统中，一部分应用提供赌博和色情等非法服务以谋取经济利益，这些应用统称为“地下经济应用”。虽然以往的研究已经考察了这些应用的特征和识别方法，但对其通过应用市场之外的平台（如 Telegram）进行分发的研究仍然很少，而由于 Telegram 强大的加密和用户匿名性，该平台已成为地下活动和网络犯罪的关键渠道。本研究首次对 Telegram 上的地下移动应用生态系统进行了全面探索。克服了 Telegram 环境的复杂性，我们构建了一个新颖的数据集，并分析了这些应用的流行程度、推广策略和特征。我们的发现揭示了这些应用在 Telegram 上的显著流行程度，推广这些应用的频道所拥有的订阅用户总数相当于 Telegram 用户群的 1%。我们发现这些应用主要服务于赌博和色情服务。我们揭示了涉及应用、网站、用户和频道复杂网络的复杂推广策略，并识别出 Telegram 内容审核能力的重大缺口。我们的分析还揭露了 iOS 功能在应用分发中的滥用以及这些应用中恶意行为的普遍存在。这项研究不仅加深了我们对地下应用生态系统的理解，还为制定有效的监管措施和保护用户免受这些隐蔽操作相关潜在风险提供了宝贵的见解。我们的发现为平台监管者、应用市场运营商、执法机构和网络安全专业人士在打击加密消息平台上地下应用泛滥方面提供了启示。
英文摘要：
Within the thriving mobile app ecosystem ecosystem, a subset of apps provides illicit services such as gambling and pornography to pursue economic gains, collectively referred to as "underground economy apps". While previous studies have examined these apps' characteristics and identification methods, investigations into their distribution via platforms beyond app markets (like Telegram) remain scarce, which has emerged as a crucial channel for underground activities and cybercrime due to the robust encryption and user anonymity. This study provides the first comprehensive exploration of the underground mobile app ecosystem on Telegram. Overcoming the complexities of the Telegram environment, we build a novel dataset and analyze the prevalence, promotional strategies, and characteristics of these apps. Our findings reveal the significant prevalence of these apps on Telegram, with the total sum of subscription user numbers across channels promoting these apps equivalent to 1% of Telegram's user base. We find these apps primarily cater to gambling and pornography services. We uncover sophisticated promotional strategies involving complex networks of apps, websites, users, and channels, and identify significant gaps in Telegram's content moderation capabilities. Our analysis also exposes the misuse of iOS features for app distribution and the prevalence of malicious behaviors in these apps. This research not only enhances our understanding of the underground app ecosystem but also provides valuable insights for developing effective regulatory measures and protecting users from potential risks associated with these covert operations. Our findings provide implications for platform regulators, app market operators, law enforcement agencies, and cybersecurity professionals in combating the proliferation of underground apps on encrypted messaging platforms.
机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来，可能存在错误，请以论文正文为准。
