How to Detect Android Runtime Exploit in Android Apps

Last updated March 10, 2024 by Devorah Cohen

Learn to Detect Android Runtime Exploit in Android apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

What is ART?

Android Runtime (ART) is an application runtime environment used by the Android operating system. Replacing Dalvik, ART performs the translation of the application’s bytecode into native instructions that are later executed by the device’s runtime environment. ART uses a hybrid combination of ahead-of-time (AOT) and just-in-time (JIT) compilation, to improve the performance of an app. These files contain compiled code and data from an app’s APK file and are generated by Android when the app is installed.

Why Should I Detect ART Exploit?

ART presents an opportunity for attackers and penetration testers to instrument or change the application behavior as the app compiles. For instance, attackers can manipulate the AOT and JIT files, forcing the app to load the maliciously modified files every time it runs. Appdome’s Detect Android Runtime Exploit feature provides an additional layer of security for mobile applications by detecting and alerting when an app’s AOT or JIT files have been tampered with or modified in any way and terminates the application.

Prerequisites for Using Detect Android Runtime Exploit:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Detect Android Runtime Exploit , you’ll need:

Detect Android Runtime Exploit on Android apps using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Detect Android Runtime Exploit 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. Detect Android Runtime Exploit Compatible With: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps
  2. Build the feature: Detect Android Runtime Exploit.

    1. Building Detect Android Runtime Exploit by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Detect Android Runtime Exploit feature as shown below:
      2. fusion set that contains Detect Android Runtime Exploit

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Detect Android Runtime Exploit feature
        Note: Naming the Fusion Set to correspond to the protection(s) selected is for illustration purposes only (not required).

      3. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Detect Android Runtime Exploit feature via Appdome Console, to add the Detect Android Runtime Exploit feature to this Fusion Set.

      4. 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): fusion Set Detail Summary image

        Figure 2: Fusion Set Detail Summary
        Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      5. 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 Detect Android Runtime Exploit feature via Appdome Console

      To build the Detect Android Runtime Exploit protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.

      1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Anti Fraud Tab > Mobile Malware Prevention section.
      2. When you select the Detect Android Runtime Exploit 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 Android Runtime Exploit

        Fusion Set applied Detect Android Runtime Exploit

        Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Detect Android Runtime Exploit protection

      3. Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Detect Android Runtime Exploit:
        1. 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 Android Runtime Exploit.

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

          When this setting is used, Appdome detects the presence of Android Runtime Exploit 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 Android Runtime Exploit Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.

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

          When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Android Runtime Exploit (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 Android Runtime Exploit Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.

      4. Click Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 3).
    Congratulations!  The Detect Android Runtime Exploit protection is now added to the mobile app

Using Threat-Events™ for Android Runtime Exploit Intelligence and Control in Android Apps

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

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Android Runtime Exploit are:

Threat-Event™ Elements Detect Android Runtime Exploit Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name Detect Android Runtime Exploit
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 Android Runtime Exploit Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME AndroidRuntimeExploitDetected
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
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 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

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 Runtime Exploit is detected.

The following is a code sample for native Android apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Detect Android Runtime Exploit:


Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Android Apps by using Detect Android Runtime Exploit. 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 Android Runtime Exploit

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:

 

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.

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