How to Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Android in Android Games

Last updated April 23, 2023 by Appdome

Learn to Detect Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device in Android apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

What is GameGuardian?

GameGuardian is a powerful game cheating/ hacking/ alteration tool (also known as a cheat engine) for Android. It is an Android app that is used for modifying, hacking, and cheating in mobile games primarily by editing the memory of a live mobile game. Using GameGuardian, hackers can perform modifications such as altering in-game money/coins, changing the app/game’s internal clock to gain a relative advantage against other players, modifying or bypassing in-app purchases, and bypassing licensing checks.
While GameGuardian partially functions inside a virtual space, with apps such as Parallel Spaces, it works best on rooted devices. In addition, GameGuardian’s sophisticated root hiding and root cloaking features work even better on rooted devices, as GameGuardian operates with a higher level of privilege than most detection mechanisms and can therefore evade detection.

How does Appdome Detect the Presence of GameGuardian on a Rooted Device?

To detect and block GameGuardian on rooted devices, even when GameGuardian is using root privileges to hide itself, Appdome requests root access for itself through an app permission request to the mobile user. If the permission request is approved, Appdome will use the root access it has been granted in order to detect and block GameGuardian; if the user denies the permission request, a different Threat Event will be sent (UserDeniedRootRequest).

Detecting Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device on Android apps by Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Detect Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device 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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device.
1. Building Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device by using Appdome’s DEV-API:
  1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device feature as shown below:
  2. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device feature via Appdome Console, to add the Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device 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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device feature via Appdome Console
  
  To build the Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.
  1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Anti Fraud Tab > Mobile Cheat Prevention section
  2. How: Toggle (turn ON) Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device, as shown below.
    
    Figure 3: Detect Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device option
  3. When you select the Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device 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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device
    
    Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device protection
  4. Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device:
    
    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 Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device.
    
    Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection
    When this setting is used, Appdome detects that GameGuardian is running on a rooted 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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
    
    Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense
    When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device (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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device 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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device protection is now added to the mobile app
Certify the Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device feature in Android Apps.

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

Using Threat-Events™ for Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device Intelligence and Control in Android Apps

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

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device are:

Threat-Event™ Elements	Detect Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name	Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device
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 Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME	UserDeniedRootRequest
Threat-Event DATA	reasonData
Threat-Event CODE	reasonCode
Threat-Event REF	6915
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 Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device is detected.

The following is a code sample for native Android apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device:

IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
                    intentFilter.addAction("UserDeniedRootRequest");
                    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("UserDeniedRootRequest");
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("UserDeniedRootRequest")
                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("UserDeniedRootRequest")
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(
                        "UserDeniedRootRequest",
                        (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(
        "UserDeniedRootRequest",
        (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("UserDeniedRootRequest"));
                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("UserDeniedRootRequest"));
​
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("UserDeniedRootRequest", 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("UserDeniedRootRequest", 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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Detect Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device , you’ll need:

Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
A license for Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device
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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device. 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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device

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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device

Here are a few related resources:

How to Block GameGuardian, Prevent Android Game Cheating

How to Block Speed Hacking, Prevent Mobile Game Cheating

How to Block Jailbreak Bypass Tools in iOS Apps

Rooting Android

Prevent Jailbreak Bypass and Jailbreak Hiding

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 GameGuardian on Rooted Android in Android Games

What is GameGuardian?

How does Appdome Detect the Presence of GameGuardian on a Rooted Device?

Detecting Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device 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 GameGuardian on Rooted Device.

Building Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

Building the Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device feature via Appdome Console

Certify the Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device feature in Android Apps.

Using Threat-Events™ for Game Guardian on a Rooted Android device Intelligence and Control in Android Apps

Prerequisites to Using Detect GameGuardian on Rooted Device:

Thank you!