How to Detect Android Developer Options, Protect Android Apps

Last updated May 23, 2023 by Appdome

Learn to Detect Developer Options in Android apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

What are Developer Options?

Developer options is an Android setting that allows developers to configure system behaviors for administrative and troubleshooting purposes. When this setting is enabled, developers can run their app on an Android Mobile device without proper digital signature.

The Developer options setting is designed to help developers profile app performance and run debugging options. For example, developers can turn on debugging over USB, generate a bug report, enable visual feedback for taps, and render 2D graphics by using GPU. Ideally, developers have this setting enabled during development and testing phase, and disable the setting once they exit to publish the app.

Why Detect Developer Options in Android Apps?

While the Developer Options setting was designed to help developers, it is often used by hackers, who try to enable and exploit it for malicious purposes. For example, features that are useful during the development phase, such as “Stay awake” (keeps the screen on while the phone is charging), “pointer locations” (draws the track of the most recent user gestures) and “USB debugging” can be exploited by malicious actors to prevent unlocking the screen, track the user’s password or hand gesture, and change the application’s logic or control flows as it executes operations, respectively.
With Appdome’s Detect Developer Options feature, if Appdome’s technology detects that Android Developer Options is enabled on a mobile device, the app will not run. Instead, the app will display a customizable In-app message to the user before it exits.

Detecting Developer Options on Android apps by Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Detect Developer Options without an SDK or gateway:

Upload the Mobile App to Appdome.
1. Upload an app to Appdome’s Mobile App Security Build System
2. Upload Method: Appdome Console or DEV-API
3. Android Formats: .apk or .aab
Build the feature: Detect Developer Options.
1. Building Detect Developer Options by using Appdome’s DEV-API:
  1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Detect Developer Options feature as shown below:
  2. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Detect Developer Options feature via Appdome Console, to add the Detect Developer Options feature to this Fusion Set.
  3. Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set, as shown in Figure 1 above, and get the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below):
    
    Figure 2: Fusion Set Detail Summary
    Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).
  4. Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, App Center, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Cirlce CI or other system:
    
    Build an API for the app – for instructions, see the tasks under Appdome API Reference Guide
    
    Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository
2. Building the Detect Developer Options feature via Appdome Console
  
  To build the Detect Developer Options protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.
  1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Security Tab > OS Integrity section
  2. How: Toggle (turn ON) Detect Developer Options, as shown below.
    If needed, Customize the Threat Notification to be displayed to the mobile end-user in a standard OS dialog notification when Appdome Detects Developer Options.
    
    Figure 3: Detect Developer Options option
    Note: The App Compromise Notification contains an easy to follow default remediation path for the mobile app end user. You can customize this message as required to achieve brand specific support, workflow or other messaging.
  3. When you select the Detect Developer Options you'll notice that your Fusion Set you created in step 2.1.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Detect Developer Options
    
    Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Detect Developer Options protection
  4. Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Detect Developer Options:
    
    Threat-Events™ OFF > In-App Defense
    If the Threat-Events™ setting is cleared (not selected). Appdome will detect and defend the user and app by enforcing Detect Developer Options.
    
    Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection
    When this setting is used, Appdome detects Android Developer Options is enabled on a mobile device and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence to the app’s business logic for processing, enforcement, and user notification. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see section Using Threat-Events™ for Detect Developer Options Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
    
    Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense
    When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Developer Options (same as Appdome Enforce) and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence the app’s business logic for processing. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see section Using Threat-Events™ for Detect Developer Options Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
  5. Click Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 3).
Congratulations! The Detect Developer Options protection is now added to the mobile app
Certify the Detect Developer Options feature in Android Apps.

After building Detect Developer Options, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Detect Developer Options protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Detect Developer Options 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 Developer Options has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Detect Developer Options and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app

Using Threat-Events™ for Developer Options Intelligence and Control in Android Apps

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

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Developer Options are:

Threat-Event™ Elements	Detect Developer Options Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name	Detect Developer Options
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
Visible in ThreatScope™
Developer Parameters for Detecting Developer Options Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME	DeveloperOptionsEnabled
Threat-Event DATA	reasonData
Threat-Event CODE	reasonCode
Threat-Event REF	6702
Threat-Event SCORE
currentThreatEventScore	Current Threat-Event score
threatEventsScore	Total Threat-events score
Threat-Event Context Keys
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
deviceID	Current device ID
reasonCode	Reason code of the occured event
buildDate	Appdome fusion date of the current application
devicePlatform	OS name of the current device
carrierName	Carrier name of the current device
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 long
locationLat	Location lat
locationState	Location state
wifiSsid	Wifi SSID
wifiSsidPermissionStatus	Wifi SSID permission status

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 Developer Options are detected.

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

IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
                    intentFilter.addAction("DeveloperOptionsEnabled");
                    registerReceiver(new BroadcastReceiver() {
                            @Override
                            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
                                String currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore"); // Current threat event score
                                String threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore"); // Total threat events score
                                String variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>"); // Any other event specific context key

                                // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
                            }
                        }, intentFilter);

                        
                        Java
                    
​x
 
IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
intentFilter.addAction("DeveloperOptionsEnabled");
registerReceiver(new BroadcastReceiver() {
        @Override
        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
            String currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore"); // Current threat event score
            String threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore"); // Total threat events score
            String variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>"); // Any other event specific context key
​
            // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
        }
    }, intentFilter);

val intentFilter = IntentFilter()
                intentFilter.addAction("DeveloperOptionsEnabled")
                registerReceiver(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
                        var currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore") // Current threat event score
                        var threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore") // Total threat events score
                        var variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>") // Any other event specific context key

                        // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
                    }
                }, intentFilter)

                         
                        Kotlin
                    
​x
 
val intentFilter = IntentFilter()
intentFilter.addAction("DeveloperOptionsEnabled")
registerReceiver(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
        var currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore") // Current threat event score
        var threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore") // Total threat events score
        var variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>") // Any other event specific context key
​
        // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
    }
}, intentFilter)

const { ADDevEvents } = NativeModules;
                const aDDevEvents = new NativeEventEmitter(ADDevEvents);

                function registerToDevEvent(action, callback) {
                    NativeModules.ADDevEvents.registerForDevEvent(action);
                    aDDevEvents.addListener(action, callback);
                }

                export function registerToAllEvents() {
                    registerToDevEvent(
                        "DeveloperOptionsEnabled",
                        (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
                        var currentThreatEventScore = userinfo["currentThreatEventScore"] // Current threat event score
                        var threatEventsScore = userinfo["threatEventsScore"] // Total threat events score
                        var variable = userinfo["<Context Key>"] // Any other event specific context key

                        // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
                    );
                }

                     
                    React Native
                
​x
 
const { ADDevEvents } = NativeModules;
const aDDevEvents = new NativeEventEmitter(ADDevEvents);
​
function registerToDevEvent(action, callback) {
    NativeModules.ADDevEvents.registerForDevEvent(action);
    aDDevEvents.addListener(action, callback);
}
​
export function registerToAllEvents() {
    registerToDevEvent(
        "DeveloperOptionsEnabled",
        (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
        var currentThreatEventScore = userinfo["currentThreatEventScore"] // Current threat event score
        var threatEventsScore = userinfo["threatEventsScore"] // Total threat events score
        var variable = userinfo["<Context Key>"] // Any other event specific context key
​
        // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
    );
}
​

RegisterReceiver(new ThreatEventReceiver(), new IntentFilter("DeveloperOptionsEnabled"));
                class ThreatEventReceiver : BroadcastReceiver
                {
                public override 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
                    String currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore"); // Current threat event score
                    String threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore"); // Total threat events score
                    String variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>"); // Any other event specific context key

                    // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
                }
                }

                    
                    Xamarin
                
​x
 
RegisterReceiver(new ThreatEventReceiver(), new IntentFilter("DeveloperOptionsEnabled"));
​
class ThreatEventReceiver : BroadcastReceiver
{
  public override 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
    String currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore"); // Current threat event score
    String threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore"); // Total threat events score
    String variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>"); // Any other event specific context key
​
    // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
  }
}

window.broadcaster.addEventListener("DeveloperOptionsEnabled", 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
        var currentThreatEventScore = userInfo.currentThreatEventScore // Current threat event score
        var threatEventsScore = userInfo.threatEventsScore // Total threat events score
        var variable = userInfo.<Context Key> // Any other event specific context key

        // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
            });

                    
                    Cordova
                
​x
 
window.broadcaster.addEventListener("DeveloperOptionsEnabled", 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
        var currentThreatEventScore = userInfo.currentThreatEventScore // Current threat event score
        var threatEventsScore = userInfo.threatEventsScore // Total threat events score
        var variable = userInfo.<Context Key> // Any other event specific context key
​
        // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
});

Prerequisites to Using Detect Developer Options:

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

Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
A license for Detect Developer Options
Mobile App (.apk or .aab For Android)
Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)

Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Android Apps by using Detect Developer Options. 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 Developer Options

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.

All apps protected by Appdome are fully compatible with any public app store, including Apple App Store, Google Play, Huawei App Gallery and more.

Features Similar to Detect Developer Options

Here are a few related resources:

How to Detect Unknown Sources, Protect Android Apps

How to Add Root Detection and Prevention to Android apps

How to Detect Zygisk and Root Hiding in Android Apps

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.

How to Detect Android Developer Options, Protect Android Apps

What are Developer Options?

Why Detect Developer Options in Android Apps?

Detecting Developer Options on Android apps by Using Appdome

Upload the Mobile App to Appdome.

Upload an app to Appdome’s Mobile App Security Build System

Build the feature: Detect Developer Options.

Building Detect Developer Options by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

Building the Detect Developer Options feature via Appdome Console

Certify the Detect Developer Options feature in Android Apps.

Using Threat-Events™ for Developer Options Intelligence and Control in Android Apps

Prerequisites to Using Detect Developer Options:

Thank you!