DAMN - A Debugging and Manipulation Tool for Android Applications

Gerald Schoiber; Rene Mayrhofer; Michael Hölzl

doi:10.1145/3007120.3007161

DAMN - A Debugging and Manipulation Tool for Android Applications

Gerald Schoiber, Rene Mayrhofer, Michael Hölzl

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedings › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

Mobile developers tend to use source code obfuscation to protect their code against reverse engineering. Unfortunately, some developers rely on the idea that obfuscated applications also provide additional security. But that is not the case since mistakes in design are still present and can be used for arbitrary attacks. However, manually analyzing such obfuscated applications is time consuming for researchers due to the complexity of the generated code. Our debugging and manipulation tool (DAMN) offers a new way of investigating Android applications, including obfuscated ones. It combines static source code reversing with dynamic manipulation techniques to get rid of obfuscation penalties and supports the investigator during the analyzing process. DAMN can display the reversed source code, pause any application at any given time and allows to manipulate its state. All those features make DAMN a powerful reversing and analyzing tool for manual investigations of obfuscated Android applications.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	14th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia, MoMM 2016 - Proceedings
Editors	Bessam Abdulrazak, Matthias Steinbauer, Ismail Khalil, Eric Pardede, Gabriele Anderst-Kotsis
Publisher	ACM Press
Pages	40-44
Number of pages	5
ISBN (Electronic)	9781450348065
ISBN (Print)	978-1-4503-4806-5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3007120.3007161
Publication status	Published - 28 Nov 2016
Event	14th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia (MoMM 2016) - Singapore, Singapore Duration: 28 Nov 2016 → 30 Nov 2016 http://www.iiwas.org/conferences/momm2016/

Publication series

Name	ACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference	14th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia (MoMM 2016)
Country/Territory	Singapore
City	Singapore
Period	28.11.2016 → 30.11.2016
Internet address	http://www.iiwas.org/conferences/momm2016/

Keywords

Android
Code Analysis
Debugging
Reverse Engineering
Code analysis
Reverse engineering

Access to Document

10.1145/3007120.3007161

Cite this

Schoiber, G., Mayrhofer, R., & Hölzl, M. (2016). DAMN - A Debugging and Manipulation Tool for Android Applications. In B. Abdulrazak, M. Steinbauer, I. Khalil, E. Pardede, & G. Anderst-Kotsis (Eds.), 14th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia, MoMM 2016 - Proceedings (pp. 40-44). (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series). ACM Press. https://doi.org/10.1145/3007120.3007161

Schoiber, Gerald ; Mayrhofer, Rene ; Hölzl, Michael. / DAMN - A Debugging and Manipulation Tool for Android Applications. 14th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia, MoMM 2016 - Proceedings. editor / Bessam Abdulrazak ; Matthias Steinbauer ; Ismail Khalil ; Eric Pardede ; Gabriele Anderst-Kotsis. ACM Press, 2016. pp. 40-44 (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series).

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abstract = "Mobile developers tend to use source code obfuscation to protect their code against reverse engineering. Unfortunately, some developers rely on the idea that obfuscated applications also provide additional security. But that is not the case since mistakes in design are still present and can be used for arbitrary attacks. However, manually analyzing such obfuscated applications is time consuming for researchers due to the complexity of the generated code. Our debugging and manipulation tool (DAMN) offers a new way of investigating Android applications, including obfuscated ones. It combines static source code reversing with dynamic manipulation techniques to get rid of obfuscation penalties and supports the investigator during the analyzing process. DAMN can display the reversed source code, pause any application at any given time and allows to manipulate its state. All those features make DAMN a powerful reversing and analyzing tool for manual investigations of obfuscated Android applications.",

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Schoiber, G, Mayrhofer, R & Hölzl, M 2016, DAMN - A Debugging and Manipulation Tool for Android Applications. in B Abdulrazak, M Steinbauer, I Khalil, E Pardede & G Anderst-Kotsis (eds), 14th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia, MoMM 2016 - Proceedings. ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, ACM Press, pp. 40-44, 14th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia (MoMM 2016), Singapore, Singapore, 28.11.2016. https://doi.org/10.1145/3007120.3007161

DAMN - A Debugging and Manipulation Tool for Android Applications. / Schoiber, Gerald; Mayrhofer, Rene; Hölzl, Michael.
14th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia, MoMM 2016 - Proceedings. ed. / Bessam Abdulrazak; Matthias Steinbauer; Ismail Khalil; Eric Pardede; Gabriele Anderst-Kotsis. ACM Press, 2016. p. 40-44 (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedings › Conference contribution › peer-review

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AB - Mobile developers tend to use source code obfuscation to protect their code against reverse engineering. Unfortunately, some developers rely on the idea that obfuscated applications also provide additional security. But that is not the case since mistakes in design are still present and can be used for arbitrary attacks. However, manually analyzing such obfuscated applications is time consuming for researchers due to the complexity of the generated code. Our debugging and manipulation tool (DAMN) offers a new way of investigating Android applications, including obfuscated ones. It combines static source code reversing with dynamic manipulation techniques to get rid of obfuscation penalties and supports the investigator during the analyzing process. DAMN can display the reversed source code, pause any application at any given time and allows to manipulate its state. All those features make DAMN a powerful reversing and analyzing tool for manual investigations of obfuscated Android applications.

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Y2 - 28 November 2016 through 30 November 2016

ER -

Schoiber G, Mayrhofer R, Hölzl M. DAMN - A Debugging and Manipulation Tool for Android Applications. In Abdulrazak B, Steinbauer M, Khalil I, Pardede E, Anderst-Kotsis G, editors, 14th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia, MoMM 2016 - Proceedings. ACM Press. 2016. p. 40-44. (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series). doi: 10.1145/3007120.3007161

DAMN - A Debugging and Manipulation Tool for Android Applications

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Keywords

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