Dodgy developers can have their data-stealing iOS applications boosted to the top ranks of Apple's App Store for as little as US$4000 thanks to services on offer by Chinese hackers. The price will get an application capable of evading Apple's security checks onto the top five paid application list through boosting services.

A payment of $US7200 will get an app onto the sought-after top 25 free apps lists, a price increase of $3800 since 2013. By contrast deviant developers can score 10,000 downloads for their malicious Android app a paltry US$16. The findings are part of analysis of the Chinese criminal underground by Trend Micro forward threat researcher Lion Gu.