How to Prevent Static App Patching in Android Apps

Learn to Prevent Static App Patching in Android apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

What is Static App Patching?

If an app is not sufficiently protected against reverse engineering, attackers can take an original app and modify the binary code by adding malicious code to the app and repackaging the app bundle so that the changes are permanent.

Why Prevent Static App Patching in Android Apps?

The prevention of Static App Patching is one of Anti-Tampering features of Appdome’s ONEShield™. This feature ensures that the app has not been tampered with and does not contain malicious elements.

Using this feature prevents this type of attack and ensures that the original code is preserved and users are protected.

Prerequisites for Using Prevent Static App Patching:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Prevent Static App Patching , you’ll need:

• Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)

• A license for ONEShield™ 

• Mobile App (.apk or .aab For Android)

• Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)

Prevent Static App Patching on Android apps using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Prevent Static App Patching without an SDK or gateway:

1. 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
   4. Prevent Static App Patching Compatible With: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps

2. Build the feature: Prevent Static App Patching.

   1. Building Prevent Static App Patching by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Prevent Static App Patching feature as shown below:
      

      Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Prevent Static App Patching feature
      Note: Naming the Fusion Set to correspond to the protection(s) selected is for illustration purposes only (not required).

      2. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Prevent Static App Patching feature via Appdome Console, to add the Prevent Static App Patching 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:

         1. Build an API for the app – for instructions, see the tasks under Appdome API Reference Guide
         2. Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository

   2. Building the Prevent Static App Patching feature via Appdome Console

      To build the Prevent Static App Patching protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.

      1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Security Tab > ONEShield™ section.

         Like all other options in ONEShield™, Prevent Static App Patching is turned on by default, as shown below:

         Figure 3: Prevent Static App Patching 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.

      2. How: Toggle (turn ON) Prevent Static App Patching, as shown below.

         Figure 3: Prevent Static App Patching option

      3. When you select the Prevent Static App Patching you'll notice that your Fusion Set you created in step 2.1.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Prevent Static App Patching

         

         Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Prevent Static App Patching protection

      4. Click Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 3).

   Congratulations!  The Prevent Static App Patching protection is now added to the mobile app

3. Certify the Prevent Static App Patching feature in Android Apps.

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