How to Implement App Shielding in iOS and Android Apps Using AI

Last updated February 23, 2025 by Appdome

This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Enforce Android Anti-Tampering in Android apps.

What Is App Shielding?

App Shielding and Anti-tampering safeguard mobile apps against unauthorized modifications that alter their code, processes, or runtime environments. Tampering includes both static changes, such as altering binaries or injecting code, and dynamic changes, like manipulating app memory or environment variables. Attackers use these methods to bypass protections, disable security features, or introduce malicious behaviors like unauthorized in-app purchases or data theft. Tools such as Frida, APKTool, and patching frameworks make tampering accessible and scalable. Preventing tampering ensures the app performs as intended, mitigating risks like data breaches, app repackaging, and unauthorized access. Compliance standards like OWASP MASVS and PCI-DSS require app integrity protections to safeguard against tampering, as compromised apps jeopardize sensitive data, financial security, and user safety. Without robust anti-tampering measures, attackers can exploit app weaknesses, leading to operational, compliance, and security failures.

How Appdome Protects Mobile Apps With App Shielding?

Appdome’s dynamic app shielding plugin for Android and iOS protects apps against unauthorized modifications with multiple layers of defense, including runtime integrity checks, checksum validation, and detection of tampering attempts. Appdome validates the app’s code, environment, and runtime state, identifying any static or dynamic changes to binaries, security features, or memory. By preventing patching, repacking, and runtime manipulation, Appdome ensures the app remains in its original, secure state. Appdome’s obfuscation further hides security features, making it harder for attackers to bypass protections. Mobile developers can use Appdome’s Threat-Events™ to gather data on tampering attempts and create customized user experiences when tampering is detected.

Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Android Anti-Tampering Plugins:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Enforce Android Anti-Tampering , you’ll need:

How to Implement Enforce Android Anti-Tampering in Android Apps Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Enforce Android Anti-Tampering 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. Android Anti-Tampering is compatible with: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.
  2. Select the defense: Android Anti-Tampering.

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Android Anti-Tampering feature as shown below:
        fusion set that contains Android Anti-Tampering

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Android Anti-Tampering feature

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

      3. When you enable App Shielding you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Android Anti-Tampering.

        Fusion Set applied Android Anti-Tampering

        Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Android Anti-Tampering 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 Android Anti-Tampering feature to your security template.

      1. Navigate to Build > Security tab > ONEShield™ section in the Appdome Console.
      2. Toggle On App Shielding > Android Anti-Tampering.
        Note: The checkmark feature Android Anti-Tampering is enabled by default, as shown below. Android Anti-Tampering option

        Figure 4: Selecting Enforce Android Anti-Tampering

        Note: The Appdome Platform displays the Mobile Operation Systems supported by each defense in real-time. For more details, see our OS Support Policy KB.

      3. Configure the User Experience Options for Android Anti-Tampering:
        With Threat-Events™ OFF, Appdome provides several user experience options for mobile brands and developers.
        1. App Compromise Notification: Customize the pop-up or toast Appdome uses to notify the user when a threat is present while using the protected mobile app.
        2. Short message Option. This is available for mobile devices that allow a banner notification for security events.
        3. Localized Message Option. Allows Appdome users to support global languages in security notifications.

          Localized Message

          Figure 5: Default User Experience Options for Appdome’s Android Anti-Tampering

        4. Android Anti-Tampering Threat Code™. Appdome uses AI/ML to generate a unique code each time Android Anti-Tampering is triggered by an active threat on the mobile device. Use the code in Appdome Threat Resolution Center™ to help end users identify, find and resolve active threats on the personal mobile devices.
    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 Android Anti-Tampering protection is now added to the mobile app
  3. Certify the Android Anti-Tampering feature in Android Apps

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

    Figure 6: 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 Android Anti-Tampering has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Android Anti-Tampering and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.

Using Threat-Events™ for Android Anti-Tampering Intelligence and Control in Android Apps

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

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Android Anti-Tampering are:

Threat-Event™ Elements Enforce Android Anti-Tampering Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name Android Anti-Tampering
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 Enforcing Android Anti-Tampering Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME Anti-Tampering
Threat-Event DATA reasonData
Threat-Event CODE reasonCode
Threat-Event REF 6801
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
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 Android Anti-Tampering is detected.


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


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 Apps by using Android Anti-Tampering. 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 Android Anti-Tampering

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!

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