How to Detect Data Dump in Android Apps Using AI

Last updated September 10, 2025 by Appdome

This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Detect Data Dump in Android apps.

What is Data Dumping?

A Data Dump is the extraction of sensitive runtime information directly from an app’s memory while it is executing. Attackers use memory dump techniques to harvest authentication tokens, session IDs, user credentials, API keys, and personally identifiable information without needing access to the source code. By capturing volatile memory, adversaries can bypass security checks, impersonate users, and manipulate transactions. Preventing data dumps is difficult because memory exists only temporarily and can be accessed with debugging tools, root privileges, or memory modification tools. This makes data dump detection essential for defending against account takeover, fraud, and game hacking techniques.

How Appdome Protects Android Apps Against Data Dumping

Appdome’s dynamic Detect Data Dump plugin monitors Android app memory at runtime to detect unauthorized extraction of tokens, credentials, user information and game data. It blocks dumping attempts from debuggers, root exploits, and memory dumping tools, ensuring sensitive runtime information remains secure. Upon detection, a user will be presented with a pop-up screen stating the attack and that the app will close. Alternatively, mobile developers can leverage Appdome’s Threat-Events framework to create custom UI and UX experiences based on Detect Data Dump detections.

Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Data Dump Plugins:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Detect Data Dump , you’ll need:

How to Implement Detect Data Dump in Android Apps Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Detect Data Dump without an SDK or gateway:

  1. Designate the Mobile App to be protected.

    1. Upload an app via the Appdome Mobile Defense platform GUI or via Appdome’s DEV-API or CI/CD Plugins.

    2. Android Formats: .apk or .aab
    3. Data Dump is compatible with: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.
  2. Select the defense: Data Dump.

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Data Dump feature as shown below:
        fusion set that contains Data Dump

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Data Dump feature

      2. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Data Dump feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.

      3. When you enable Detect Android Memory Dump you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Data Dump.

        Fusion Set applied Data Dump

        Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Data Dump protection
        Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      4. Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set. Copy the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below): fusion Set Detail Summary image

        Figure 3: Fusion Set Detail Summary

      5. Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Circle CI or other system:
        1. Refer to the Appdome API Reference Guide for API building instructions.
        2. Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository.
    1. Add the Data Dump feature to your security template.

      1. Navigate to Build > Anti ATO tab > Mobile Account Protection section in the Appdome Console.
      2. Toggle On Detect Android Memory Dump > Data Dump.
        Note: The checkmark feature Data Dump is enabled by default, as shown below. Data Dump option

        Figure 4: Selecting Detect Data Dump

    2. Initiate the build command either by clicking Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 4) or via your CI/CD as described in Section 2.1.4.
    Congratulations!  The Data Dump protection is now added to the mobile app
  3. Certify the Data Dump feature in Android Apps

    After building Data Dump, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Data Dump protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Data Dump protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below: Data Dump shown in Certificate secure

    Figure 5: Certified Secure™ certificate

    Each Certified Secure™ certificate provides DevOps and DevSecOps organizations the entire workflow summary, audit trail of each build, and proof of protection that Data Dump has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Data Dump and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.

Using Threat-Events™ for Data Dump Intelligence and Control in Android Apps

Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Data Dump is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for Data Dump in Android Apps, use registerReceiver in the Application OnCreate, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Data Dump shown below.

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Data Dump are:

Threat-Event™ Elements Detect Data Dump Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name Data Dump
Threat-Event Mode
OFF, IN-APP DEFENSE Appdome detects, defends and notifies user (standard OS dialog) using customizable messaging.
ON, IN-APP DETECTION Appdome detects the attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (app chooses how and when to enforce).
ON, IN-APP DEFENSE Uses Appdome Enforce mode for any attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (gather intel on attacks and threats without losing any protection).
Certified Secure™ Threat Event Check x
Visible in ThreatScope™ x
Developer Parameters for Detecting Data Dump Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME
Threat-Event DATA reasonData
Threat-Event CODE reasonCode
Threat-Event SCORE
currentThreatEventScore Current Threat-Event score
threatEventsScore Total Threat-events score
Threat-Event Context Keys
Timestamp The exact time the threat event was triggered, recorded in milliseconds since epoch
message Message displayed for the user on event
externalID The external ID of the event which can be listened via Threat Events
osVersion OS version of the current device
deviceModel Current device model
deviceManufacturer The manufacturer of the current device
fusedAppToken The task ID of the Appdome fusion of the currently running app
kernelInfo Info about the kernel: system name, node name, release, version and machine.
carrierPlmn PLMN of the device. Only available for Android devices.
deviceID Current device ID
reasonCode Reason code of the occurred event
deviceBrand Brand of the device
deviceBoard Board of the device
buildUser Build user
buildHost Build host
sdkVersion Sdk version
threatCode The last six characters of the threat code specify the OS, allowing the Threat Resolution Center to address the attack on the affected device.

With Threat-Events™ enabled (turned ON), Android developers can get detailed attack intelligence and granular defense control in Android applications and create amazing user experiences for all mobile end users when Data Dump is detected.


The following is a code sample for native Android apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Data Dump:


Important! Replace all placeholder instances of <Context Key> with the specific name of your threat event context key across all language examples. This is crucial to ensure your code functions correctly with the intended event data. For example, The <Context Key> could be the message, externalID, OS Version, reason code, etc.



Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Android Apps by using Data Dump. There is no SDK and no library to code or implement in the app and no gateway to deploy in your network. All protections are built into each app and the resulting app is self-defending and self-protecting.

Releasing and Publishing Mobile Apps with Data Dump

After successfully securing your app by using Appdome, there are several available options to complete your project, depending on your app lifecycle or workflow. These include:

Related Articles:

How Do I Learn More?

If you have any questions, please send them our way at support.appdome.com or via the chat window on the Appdome platform.

Thank you!

Thanks for visiting Appdome! Our mission is to secure every app on the planet by making mobile app security easy. We hope we’re living up to the mission with your project.

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