How to Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) Exploits, Protect Android Apps

Last updated May 7, 2024 by Appdome

This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) in Android apps.

What is Android Debug Bridge (ADB)?

Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a very powerful and versatile command-line tool that is intended for use by legitimate developers in building, debugging, and troubleshooting Android apps. Users of ADB can communicate with Android devices or Android apps, either remotely or via a USB interface, to perform a wide range of actions by running and executing an extensive list of commands installing and debugging apps.ADB is a client-server program that includes three components:
• A client, which sends commands. You can invoke a client from a command-line terminal by issuing an adb command.
• A daemon (adbd), which runs commands on a device. The daemon runs as a background process on each device.
• A server, which manages communication between the client and the daemon. The server runs as a background process.

Why Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) in Android Apps?

While there are many legitimate uses of ADB during the development and testing process when building Android apps, ADB (like many development tools) can also be used for malicious purposes. For example, ADB can be used for extracting or installing apps on devices, reading and modifying data while the app is running, performing function or method hooking, and changing the application’s logic or control flows as it executes operations.

As a result, it is important to build protections into mobile apps to prevent malicious use of ADB by anyone other than the developers of the app or other parties authorized by the app owner).

Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) Plugins:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) , you’ll need:

How to Implement Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) in Android Apps Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) 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. Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is compatible with: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.
  2. Select the defense: Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB).

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) feature as shown below:
        fusion set that contains Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) .

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) 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 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.

      3. When you select the Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB).

        Fusion Set applied Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB)

        Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) 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 Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) feature to your security template.

      1. Navigate to Build > Anti Fraud tab > Mobile Fraud Detection section in the Appdome Console.
      2. Toggle On > Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB).

        (a) Choose to monitor this attack vector by checking the Threat Events checkbox associated with Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) as shown below.

        (b) To receive mobile Threat Monitoring, check the ThreatScope™ box as shown below. For more details, see our knowledge base article on ThreatScope™ Mobile XDR.
        Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) option

        Figure 4: Selecting Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB)

        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. Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB):
        1. Threat-Events™ OFF > In-App Defense

          If the Threat-Events™ setting is not selected. Appdome will detect and defend the user and app by enforcing Android Debug Bridge (ADB).

        2. Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection

          When this setting is used, Appdome detects Android Debug Bridge (ADB) 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™ to Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB)Block Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.

        3. Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense

          When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Android Debug Bridge (ADB) (same as Appdome Enforce) and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence to 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 Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB)Block Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.

      4. Configure the User Experience Options for Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB):
        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 Debug Bridge (ADB)

        4. Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) Threat Code™. Appdome uses AI/ML to generate a unique code each time Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) 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.
      5. Optional Configuration with Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB):
        1. Block Rooted ADB

          Detects if ADB was set to run as root which can be used to run malicious tools as root without rooting the device.

        2. Block USB Debugging

          Block USB debugging port used via ADB.

    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 Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) protection is now added to the mobile app
  3. Certify the Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) feature in Android Apps

    After building Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB), Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below: Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) 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 Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.

Using Threat-Events™ for Android Debug Bridge (ADB) Intelligence and Control in Android Apps

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

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Android Debug Bridge (ADB) are:

Threat-Event™ Elements Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB) Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB)
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 Blocking Android Debug Bridge (ADB) Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME ActiveADBDetected
Threat-Event DATA reasonData
Threat-Event CODE reasonCode
Threat-Event REF 6906
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.
adbDetectionMethod Detection method

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 Debug Bridge (ADB) is detected.


The following is a code sample for native Android apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB):


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 Android Apps by using Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB). 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 Block Android Debug Bridge (ADB)

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:

Check out the Appdome Mobile Fraud Detection solution page or request a demo at any time.

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!

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.

Want a Demo?

Know Your Customer

TomWe're here to help
We'll get back to you in 24 hours to schedule your demo.

Search Appdome Solutions

Search
Supercharge The Experience In Mobile App Defense

Supercharge the Experience in Mobile App Defense

Appdome revolutionizes mobile app defense by integrating security seamlessly, enhancing the user experience for developers, cyber teams, and end-users without disruption.

Better User Experience In Mobile Defense

Better User Experience in Mobile Defense

This blog show how Appdome’s Intelligent Defense helps mobile brands and users resolve threats with the user experience as a central priority.