How to Protect Android Apps Against Cerberus Malware
This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Detect Cerberus Spyware in Android apps.
What is Cerebus?
Cerberus is a highly advanced Android banking trojan designed to steal financial credentials, bypass security controls, and enable remote control over infected devices. It spreads through malicious apps, often disguised as legitimate financial tools, and exploits Android’s Accessibility Services to intercept user interactions. Cerberus conducts overlay attacks, displaying fake login screens over legitimate banking apps to steal credentials. It also includes keylogging to capture keystrokes, SMS interception to steal 2FA codes, and cookie theft to hijack authenticated sessions. More advanced versions include Remote Access Trojan (RAT) functionality, allowing attackers to manipulate transactions, access sensitive data, and control infected devices in real time. Due to its modular nature and ability to evade traditional security measures, Cerberus remains a persistent threat, making strong security defenses essential to prevent fraud, unauthorized access, and account takeovers (ATOs), while ensuring compliance with PCI DSS, GDPR, and PSD2.
How Attackers Use Cerberus?
Attackers deploy Cerberus through malicious apps or phishing campaigns. Once installed, it creates fake overlay screens that mimic legitimate login interfaces, intercepts SMS messages to capture OTPs, logs keystrokes and abused Android Accessibility Services to steal credentials. Its remote access capabilities allow attackers to manipulate user accounts and initiate unauthorized transactions.
Risks Posed by Cerberus
- To Mobile Apps: Compromises app functionality by injecting malicious overlays or intercepting secure communications.
- To Users: Steals credentials and financial information, potentially leading to identity theft.
- To Transactions: Enables unauthorized fund transfers or payment rerouting.
- To Login Credentials: Captures usernames, passwords, and OTPs through phishing overlays and keylogging.
- To Connections: Intercepts SMS messages or manipulates app-network communications.
Defending against Cerberus is essential for preserving user trust, ensuring financial security, and protecting sensitive information. For instance, financial apps must safeguard OTPs and login data to prevent account takeovers and fraudulent transactions.
How Does Appdome Protect Android Apps from Cerebus?
Appdome’s Prevent Trojan Spyware dynamic plugin defends Android apps by detecting and mitigating spyware threats like Ceberus during app runtime. It blocks overlay attacks, stops keylogging, and prevents unauthorized use of Accessibility Services to disrupt Cerberus’ ability to capture credentials. Appdome also detects and blocks SMS interception to protect 2FA security, mitigates session hijacking risks with MitM attack prevention, and validates Google Play Store signatures to block fake or cloned apps. These combined defenses ensure comprehensive protection against Cerberus without requiring developer work or impacting the app’s performance or stability.
Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Detect Cerberus Spyware Plugins:
To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Detect Cerberus Spyware , you’ll need:
- Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
- A license for Detect Cerberus Spyware
- Mobile App (.apk or .aab for Android)
- Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)
How to Implement Detect Cerberus Spyware in Android Apps Using Appdome
On Appdome, follow these simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Detect Cerberus Spyware without an SDK or gateway:
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Designate the Mobile App to be protected.
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Upload an app via the Appdome Mobile Defense platform GUI or via Appdome’s DEV-API or CI/CD Plugins.
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Android Formats: .apk or .aab
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Detect Cerberus Spyware is compatible with: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.
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Select the defense: Detect Cerberus Spyware.
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Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Detect Cerberus Spyware feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.
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When you enable Prevent Trojan Spyware you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Detect Cerberus Spyware.
Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Detect Cerberus Spyware protection
Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory). -
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):
Figure 3: Fusion Set Detail Summary
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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:
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Refer to the Appdome API Reference Guide for API building instructions.
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Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository.
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Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Detect Cerberus Spyware feature as shown below:Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Detect Cerberus Spyware feature
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Add the Detect Cerberus Spyware feature to your security template.
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Navigate to Build > Anti ATO tab > Banking Trojans section in the Appdome Console.
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Toggle On Prevent Trojan Spyware > Detect Cerberus Spyware.
Note: The checkmark feature Detect Cerberus Spyware is enabled by default, as shown below.Figure 4: Selecting Detect Cerberus Spyware
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Congratulations! The Detect Cerberus Spyware protection is now added to the mobile app -
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Certify the Detect Cerberus Spyware feature in Android Apps
After building Detect Cerberus Spyware, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Detect Cerberus Spyware protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Detect Cerberus Spyware protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below:
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 Detect Cerberus Spyware has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Detect Cerberus Spyware and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.
Using Threat-Events™ for Cerberus Spyware Intelligence and Control in Android Apps
Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Cerberus Spyware is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for Cerberus Spyware in Android Apps, use registerReceiver in the Application OnCreate, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Cerberus Spyware shown below.
The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Cerberus Spyware are:
Threat-Event™ Elements | Detect Cerberus Spyware Method Detail |
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Appdome Feature Name | Detect Cerberus Spyware |
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 Cerberus Spyware Threat-Event™ | |
Threat-Event NAME | |
Threat-Event DATA | reasonData |
Threat-Event CODE | reasonCode |
Threat-Event REF | |
Threat-Event SCORE | |
currentThreatEventScore | Current Threat-Event score |
threatEventsScore | Total Threat-events score |
Threat-Event Context Keys | |
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message | Message displayed for the user on event |
failSafeEnforce | Timed enforcement against the identified threat |
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 |
buildDate | Appdome fusion date of the current application |
devicePlatform | OS name of the current device |
carrierName | Carrier name of the current device. Only available for Android. |
updatedOSVersion | Is the OS version up to date |
deviceBrand | Brand of the device |
deviceBoard | Board of the device |
buildUser | Build user |
buildHost | Build host |
sdkVersion | Sdk version |
timeZone | Time zone |
deviceFaceDown | Is the device face down |
locationLong | Location longitude conditioned by location permission |
locationLat | Location latitude conditioned by location permission |
locationState | Location state conditioned by location permission |
wifiSsid | Wifi SSID |
wifiSsidPermissionStatus | Wifi SSID permission status |
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 Cerberus Spyware is detected.
The following is a code sample for native Android apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Detect Cerberus Spyware:
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.
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IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
intentFilter.addAction("");
BroadcastReceiver threatEventReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
String message = intent.getStringExtra("message"); // Message shown to the user
String reasonData = intent.getStringExtra("reasonData"); // Threat detection cause
String reasonCode = intent.getStringExtra("reasonCode"); // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
String currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore");
// Total threat events score
String threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore");
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// String variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>");
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
};
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter, Context.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED);
} else {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter);
}
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val intentFilter = IntentFilter()
intentFilter.addAction("")
val threatEventReceiver = object : BroadcastReceiver() {
override fun onReceive(context: Context?, intent: Intent?) {
var message = intent?.getStringExtra("message") // Message shown to the user
var reasonData = intent?.getStringExtra("reasonData") // Threat detection cause
var reasonCode = intent?.getStringExtra("reasonCode") // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
var currentThreatEventScore = intent?.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore")
// Total threat events score
var threatEventsScore = intent?.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore")
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// var variable = intent?.getStringExtra("<Context Key>")
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
}
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter, Context.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED)
} else {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter)
}
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const { ADDevEvents } = NativeModules;
const aDDevEvents = new NativeEventEmitter(ADDevEvents);
function registerToDevEvent(action, callback) {
NativeModules.ADDevEvents.registerForDevEvent(action);
aDDevEvents.addListener(action, callback);
}
export function registerToAllEvents() {
registerToDevEvent(
"",
(userinfo) => Alert.alert(JSON.stringify(userinfo))
var message = userinfo["message"] // Message shown to the user
var reasonData = userinfo["reasonData"] // Threat detection cause
var reasonCode = userinfo["reasonCode"] // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
var currentThreatEventScore = userinfo["currentThreatEventScore"]
// Total threat events score
var threatEventsScore = userinfo["threatEventsScore"]
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// var variable = userinfo["<Context Key>"]
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
);
}
x
RegisterReceiver(new ThreatEventReceiver(), new IntentFilter(""));
class ThreatEventReceiver : BroadcastReceiver
{
public override void OnReceive(Context context, Intent intent)
{
// Message shown to the user
String message = intent.GetStringExtra("message");
// Threat detection cause
String reasonData = intent.GetStringExtra("reasonData");
// Event reason code
String reasonCode = intent.GetStringExtra("reasonCode");
// Current threat event score
String currentThreatEventScore = intent.GetStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore");
// Total threat events score
String threatEventsScore = intent.GetStringExtra("threatEventsScore");
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// String variable = intent.GetStringExtra("<Context Key>");
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
}
x
NSNotificationCenter.DefaultCenter.AddObserver(
(NSString)"", // Threat-Event Identifier
delegate (NSNotification notification)
{
// Message shown to the user
var message = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("message");
// Threat detection cause
var reasonData = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("reasonData");
// Event reason code
var reasonCode = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("reasonCode");
// Current threat event score
var currentThreatEventScore = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("currentThreatEventScore");
// Total threat events score
var threatEventsScore = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("threatEventsScore");
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// var variable = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("<Context Keys>");
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
);
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window.broadcaster.addEventListener("", function(userInfo) {
var message = userInfo.message // Message shown to the user
var reasonData = userInfo.reasonData // Threat detection cause
var reasonCode = userInfo.reasonCode // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
var currentThreatEventScore = userInfo.currentThreatEventScore
// Total threat events score
var threatEventsScore = userInfo.threatEventsScore
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// var variable = userInfo.<Context Keys>
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
});
x
import 'dart:async';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
class PlatformChannel extends StatefulWidget {
const PlatformChannel({super.key});
State<PlatformChannel> createState() => _PlatformChannelState();
}
class _PlatformChannelState extends State<PlatformChannel> {
// Replace with your EventChannel name
static const String _eventChannelName = "";
static const EventChannel _eventChannel = EventChannel(_eventChannelName);
void initState() {
super.initState();
_eventChannel.receiveBroadcastStream().listen(_onEvent, onError: _onError);
}
void _onEvent(Object? event) {
setState(() {
// Adapt this section based on your specific event data structure
var eventData = event as Map;
// Example: Accessing 'externalID' field from the event
var externalID = eventData['externalID'];
// Customize the rest of the fields based on your event structure
String message = eventData['message']; // Message shown to the user
String reasonData = eventData['reasonData']; // Threat detection cause
String reasonCode = eventData['reasonCode']; // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
String currentThreatEventScore = eventData['currentThreatEventScore'];
// Total threat events score
String threatEventsScore = eventData['threatEventsScore'];
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// String variable = eventData['<Context Keys>'];
});
}
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Apps by using Detect Cerberus Spyware. 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 Detect Cerberus Spyware
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:
- Customizing, Configuring & Branding Secure Mobile Apps.
- Deploying/Publishing Secure mobile apps to Public or Private app stores.
- Releasing Secured Android & iOS Apps built on Appdome.
Related Articles:
- How to Detect Accessibility Service Malware in Android Apps Using AI
- How to Protect Android Apps from Screen Sharing Malware
- How to Detect Pegasus Spyware in Android Apps
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.