Detect ATS Malware in Android Apps Using AI

This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Detect ATS Malware in Android apps.

What is ATS Malware?

ATS malware is a program that uses Automated Transfer Systems (ATS) methods to hijack transactions in Android apps.
ATS (Automated Transfer Systems) malware is designed to intercept and manipulate legitimate banking transactions on Android devices. This type of malware typically targets banking apps and exploits the transaction automation features used by banks to facilitate fund transfers between accounts. ATS malware gains access to a user’s bank account to carry out unauthorized transactions without the user’s knowledge. Attackers use various methods to enable these operations, including exploiting Android’s accessibility services or deploying overlay attacks to capture sensitive credentials. Once inside, the malware can initiate fraudulent transfers, intercept SMS messages, and even facilitate remote control of the device to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) or other security measures. Protection against ATS malware is essential for maintaining compliance with financial regulations like PCI-DSS, which mandates secure handling of transaction data to prevent fraud. Effective defenses ensure that user transactions remain private and safeguarded against automated and covert financial manipulation.

How Appdome Protects Android Apps Against ATS Attacks?

Appdome’s dynamic Detect ATS Malware plugin prevents the operation of ATS malware by using the Android OS capability of hiding non-system overlays, which was introduced in Android 12.
When ATS malware protection is enabled as part of enabling the Prevent Accessibility Service Malware feature Appdome will detect active transaction hijacking attempts, blocks the attempt, provide a notification to the end user. Developers can leverage Appdome’s Threat-Events™ to gather insights on accessibility service threats and create custom responses, ensuring comprehensive security without disrupting legitimate accessibility features.

Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Detect ATS Malware Plugins:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Detect ATS Malware , you’ll need:

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

How to Implement Detect ATS Malware in Android Apps Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Detect ATS Malware 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. Detect ATS Malware is compatible with: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.

2. Select the defense: Detect ATS Malware.

   1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Detect ATS Malware feature as shown below:
      

      Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Detect ATS Malware feature
      

      1. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Detect ATS Malware feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.

      2. When you enable Detect Bank Trojan Apps you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Detect ATS Malware.

         

         Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Detect ATS Malware protection
         Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      3. 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):

         Figure 3: Fusion Set Detail Summary

      4. 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.

   2. Add the Detect ATS Malware feature to your security template.

      1. Navigate to Build > Anti ATO tab > Banking Trojans section in the Appdome Console.

         Like all other options in ONEShield™, Detect ATS Malware is turned on by default, as shown below:

         Figure 4: Selecting Detect ATS Malware
         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.

      Toggle On Detect Bank Trojan Apps > Detect ATS Malware.
      Note: The checkmark feature Detect ATS Malware is enabled by default, as shown below.

      Figure 4: Selecting Detect ATS Malware

   3. 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 Detect ATS Malware protection is now added to the mobile app

3. Certify the Detect ATS Malware feature in Android Apps

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