A counterfeit copy of Google Chrome made it onto the Play Store, racked up more than 100,000 installations, and bought ad space directly above legitimate search results before Google pulled it down.
The rogue listing, published under an account called Hizbartech, mimicked Google's browser well enough to trick six figures worth of Android owners looking for a standard Chrome download. Worse, the creator paid for ad placement within Google's own catalog, ensuring the knockoff sat right at the top when people searched for the word "Chrome," according to reporting from Android Authority.
Google has since kicked the software off the digital storefront. But the incident lands at an awkward moment for the search giant.
The Sideloading Irony
For months, Google has tightened the screws on Android sideloading. The company routinely warns users that grabbing installation packages from web browsers or third-party repositories exposes them to malicious actors who clone popular software to distribute malware. Stick to our marketplace, the official guidance insists, because automated scanners and human reviewers keep that environment clean.
Yet here, the very scenario Google warns against took place directly on its primary distribution channel.
A rogue developer cloned the company's most recognizable piece of software, cleared automated onboarding checks, and then handed Google advertising money to promote the fake above the authentic version.
It is hardly the first time malicious or copycat software slipped past automated screening. Adware rings and scam utilities slip into mobile marketplaces on a regular basis. Still, there is a distinct difference between an obscure flashlight app turning out to be adware and an imposter masquerading as Google's own flagship browser inside Google's own storefront.
Questions Over Play Store Ad Vetting
The episode points to a glaring disconnect between Google's ad operations and its platform moderation. Buying promotional inventory inside app store search results should theoretically trigger extra verification. Instead, the promotional system accepted money to boost a clone that infringed on the platform operator's primary brand identity.
Users who ended up with the clone should inspect their app drawer immediately. The real Chrome comes preinstalled on nearly every certified Android phone outside mainland China, meaning most people never need to seek out a fresh installation from scratch. If you recently downloaded what looked like a second Chrome listing from an unfamiliar developer, remove it and check account activity.
Google has not detailed what payload or background activities the Hizbartech package contained, nor how long the listing remained live before removal. For a company telling regulators and customers that locked-down marketplaces are essential for ecosystem defense, letting a counterfeit version of its own crown jewel run paid promotions is a brutal unforced error.
SDFiled by The Software Desk
Apps, platforms, operating system releases, security fixes and the features arriving in them.
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