How to Use Android Memory Protection to Defeat Memory Editing in Android apps

Learn to Block memory editing in Android apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

What is Android Memory protection?

Using Appdome Android Memory Protection, Android mobile app and game developers can protect the data stored in RAM by protecting the data while the app is being used. Android Memory Protection secures app-specific data stored in the application’s memory during runtime. This prevents malicious actors from accessing or attempting to modify the application’s memory in order to perform malicious actions such as cheating in games, stealing user information, or modifying mobile app functionality, logic or behavior while the app is being used.

Why Block memory editing in Android Apps?

In order to function, every mobile app needs to store many different kinds of data in memory (RAM) while the application is being used. This can include user data, strings including credentials, passwords, or keys, and other application-specific data, such as mobile game values, scores, in-app purchase data and more. Cybercriminals often target a running application’s memory and attempt to harvest, access or modify data while it is transiently stored in memory, for example by dumping the application memory while the data is in use. The sensitive memory might be saved to disk, stored in a core dump, or remain uncleared if the application crashes, or if the programmer does not properly clear the memory before freeing it.

Prerequisites to Using Android Memory Protection:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Block memory editing , you’ll need:

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

Block memory editing on Android apps using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Block memory editing 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. Android Memory Protection Compatible With: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps

2. Build the feature: Android Memory Protection.

   1. Building Android Memory Protection by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Android Memory Protection feature as shown below:
      

      Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Android Memory Protection 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 Android Memory Protection feature via Appdome Console, to add the Android Memory Protection 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 Android Memory Protection feature via Appdome Console

      To build the Android Memory Protection protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.

      1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Anti Fraud Tab > Mobile Fraud Detection section
      2. How: Toggle (turn ON) Android Memory Protection, 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 Blocks memory editing.

         Figure 3: Block memory editing 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 Android Memory Protection you'll notice that your Fusion Set you created in step 2.1.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Android Memory Protection

         

         Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Android Memory Protection protection

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

   Congratulations!  The Android Memory Protection protection is now added to the mobile app

3. Certify the Android Memory Protection feature in Android Apps.

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