Android APK Checklist

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Learn Android fundamentals

• Basics

• Dalvik & Smali

• Entry points

  • Activities

  • URL Schemes

  • Content Providers

  • Services

  • Broadcast Receivers

  • Intents

  • Intent Filter

• Other components

• How to use ADB

• How to modify Smali

Static Analysis

• Check for the use of obfuscation, checks for noting if the mobile was rooted, if an emulator is being used and anti-tampering checks. Read this for more info.

• Sensitive applications (like bank apps) should check if the mobile is rooted and should actuate in consequence.

• Search for interesting strings (passwords, URLs, API, encryption, backdoors, tokens, Bluetooth uuids...).

  • Special attention to firebase APIs.

• Read the manifest:

  • Check if the application is in debug mode and try to "exploit" it

  • Check if the APK allows backups

  • Exported Activities

  • Content Providers

  • Exposed services

  • Broadcast Receivers

  • URL Schemes

• Is the application saving data insecurely internally or externally?

• Is there any password hard coded or saved in disk? Is the app using insecurely crypto algorithms?

• All the libraries compiled using the PIE flag?

• Don't forget that there is a bunch of static Android Analyzers that can help you a lot during this phase.

Dynamic Analysis

• Prepare the environment (online, local VM or physical)

• Is there any unintended data leakage (logging, copy/paste, crash logs)?

• Confidential information being saved in SQLite dbs?

• Exploitable exposed Activities?

• Exploitable Content Providers?

• Exploitable exposed Services?

• Exploitable Broadcast Receivers?

• Is the application transmitting information in clear text/using weak algorithms? is a MitM possible?

• Inspect HTTP/HTTPS traffic

  • This one is really important, because if you can capture the HTTP traffic you can search for common Web vulnerabilities (Hacktricks has a lot of information about Web vulns).

• Check for possible Android Client Side Injections (probably some static code analysis will help here)

• Frida: Just Frida, use it to obtain interesting dynamic data from the application (maybe some passwords...)

Some obfuscation/Deobfuscation information

• Read here

Deepen your expertise in Mobile Security with 8kSec Academy. Master iOS and Android security through our self-paced courses and get certified:

On-demand Mobile Security Training | 8kSec Academy8kSec Academy

Learn & practice AWS Hacking:HackTricks Training AWS Red Team Expert (ARTE) Learn & practice GCP Hacking: HackTricks Training GCP Red Team Expert (GRTE)

Support HackTricks

• Check the subscription plans!

• Join the 💬 Discord group or the telegram group or follow us on Twitter 🐦 @hacktricks_live.

• Share hacking tricks by submitting PRs to the HackTricks and HackTricks Cloud github repos.