How to Detect Accessibility Service Abuse on Android Apps Using AI
Last updated February 9, 2025 by Appdome
This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously
deliver plugins that Detect Accessibility Service Abuse in Android apps.
What is Accessibility Service Abuse?
Accessibility Services on Android are system-level features designed to assist users with disabilities, such as screen readers for visually impaired users, speech-to-text for communication, or automated touch interactions for simplified navigation. These services interact with the device’s UI by monitoring events like button clicks, text entry, and screen changes to help users interact with apps seamlessly. However, attackers exploit these services to gain elevated permissions, enabling malicious actions such as intercepting SMS and 2FA codes, stealing credentials, reading sensitive data, performing click fraud, and more. Malicious apps often trick users into enabling Accessibility Services, granting attackers control over the app or device without the user’s knowledge. This allows attackers to automate fraudulent transactions, inject malicious inputs, or manipulate device behavior for remote control. Protecting against Accessibility Service abuse is critical to stopping fraud, unauthorized control, and data theft. It also ensures compliance with standards like MASVS, which recommend restricting elevated privileges to trusted apps.
How Appdome Protects Android Apps Against Accessibility Services Abuse?
Appdome’s dynamic Detect Accessibility Service Abuse plugin for Android identifies unauthorized use of Accessibility Services by monitoring app behavior and high-privilege service activity in real time. If abuse is detected, Appdome exits the app to prevent compromise and displays customizable notifications, including localized messages, instructing users to disable suspicious Accessibility Services in their settings. By preventing abuse of these high-privilege services, Appdome blocks attacks like click fraud, 2FA interception, and remote control manipulation. This seamless, no-code solution ensures only trusted services interact with the app, protecting sensitive data and app functionality without requiring developer effort. Mobile developers can use Appdome’s Threat-Events™ to gather data on Accessibility Service abuse events and create a customized user experience when such threats are detected.
Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Detect Accessibility Service Abuse Plugins:
To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Detect Accessibility Service Abuse , you’ll need:
Upload an app via the Appdome Mobile Defense platform GUI or via Appdome’s DEV-API or CI/CD Plugins.
Android Formats: .apk or .aab
Detect Accessibility Service Abuse is compatible with:
Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.
Select the defense: Detect Accessibility Service Abuse.
Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Detect Accessibility Service Abuse feature as shown below:
Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Detect Accessibility Service Abuse feature
Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Detect Accessibility Service Abuse feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.
When you enable Detect Bank Trojan Apps > Detect Mobile Remote Access Trojan you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Detect Accessibility Service Abuse.
Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Detect Accessibility Service Abuse protection
Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).
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
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:
Add the Detect Accessibility Service Abuse feature to your security template.
Navigate to Build > Anti ATO tab > Android Trojans section in the Appdome Console.
Like all other options in ONEShield™, Detect Accessibility Service Abuse is turned on by default, as shown below:
Figure 4: Selecting Detect Accessibility Service Abuse
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 Mobile Remote Access Trojan > Detect Accessibility Service Abuse.
Note: The checkmark feature Detect Accessibility Service Abuse is enabled by default, as shown below.
Figure 4: Selecting Detect Accessibility Service Abuse
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 Accessibility Service Abuse protection is now added to the mobile app
Certify the Detect Accessibility Service Abuse feature in Android Apps
After building Detect Accessibility Service Abuse, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Detect Accessibility Service Abuse protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Detect Accessibility Service Abuse 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 Accessibility Service Abuse has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Detect Accessibility Service Abuse and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.
Using Threat-Events™ for Accessibility Service Abuse Intelligence and Control in Android Apps
Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Accessibility Service Abuse is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for
Accessibility Service Abuse in Android Apps, use registerReceiver in the Application OnCreate, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Accessibility Service Abuse shown below.
The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Accessibility Service Abuse are:
Threat-Event™ Elements
Detect Accessibility Service Abuse Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name
Detect Accessibility Service Abuse
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 Accessibility Service Abuse Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME
AccessibilityServiceDetected
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
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.
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 Accessibility Service Abuse is detected.
The following is a code sample for native Android apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Detect Accessibility Service Abuse:
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.
IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
intentFilter.addAction("AccessibilityServiceDetected");
BroadcastReceiver threatEventReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
@Override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
String message = intent.getStringExtra("message"); // Message shown to the user
String reasonData = intent.getStringExtra("reasonData"); // Threat detection cause
String reasonCode = intent.getStringExtra("reasonCode"); // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
String currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore");
// Total threat events score
String threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore");
// Replace '' with your specific event context key
// String variable = intent.getStringExtra("");
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
};
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter, Context.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED);
} else {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter);
}
val intentFilter = IntentFilter()
intentFilter.addAction("AccessibilityServiceDetected")
val threatEventReceiver = object : BroadcastReceiver() {
override fun onReceive(context: Context?, intent: Intent?) {
var message = intent?.getStringExtra("message") // Message shown to the user
var reasonData = intent?.getStringExtra("reasonData") // Threat detection cause
var reasonCode = intent?.getStringExtra("reasonCode") // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
var currentThreatEventScore = intent?.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore")
// Total threat events score
var threatEventsScore = intent?.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore")
// Replace '' with your specific event context key
// var variable = intent?.getStringExtra("")
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
}
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter, Context.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED)
} else {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter)
}
const { ADDevEvents } = NativeModules;
const aDDevEvents = new NativeEventEmitter(ADDevEvents);
function registerToDevEvent(action, callback) {
NativeModules.ADDevEvents.registerForDevEvent(action);
aDDevEvents.addListener(action, callback);
}
export function registerToAllEvents() {
registerToDevEvent(
"AccessibilityServiceDetected",
(userinfo) => Alert.alert(JSON.stringify(userinfo))
var message = userinfo["message"] // Message shown to the user
var reasonData = userinfo["reasonData"] // Threat detection cause
var reasonCode = userinfo["reasonCode"] // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
var currentThreatEventScore = userinfo["currentThreatEventScore"]
// Total threat events score
var threatEventsScore = userinfo["threatEventsScore"]
// Replace '' with your specific event context key
// var variable = userinfo[""]
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
);
}
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
26
}
27
}
NSNotificationCenter.DefaultCenter.AddObserver(
(NSString)"AccessibilityServiceDetected", // Threat-Event Identifier
delegate (NSNotification notification)
{
// Message shown to the user
var message = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("message");
// Threat detection cause
var reasonData = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("reasonData");
// Event reason code
var reasonCode = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("reasonCode");
// Current threat event score
var currentThreatEventScore = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("currentThreatEventScore");
// Total threat events score
var threatEventsScore = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("threatEventsScore");
// Replace '' with your specific event context key
// var variable = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("");
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
);
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
21
// var variable = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("<Context Keys>");
22
23
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
24
}
25
);
window.broadcaster.addEventListener("AccessibilityServiceDetected", function(userInfo) {
var message = userInfo.message // Message shown to the user
var reasonData = userInfo.reasonData // Threat detection cause
var reasonCode = userInfo.reasonCode // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
var currentThreatEventScore = userInfo.currentThreatEventScore
// Total threat events score
var threatEventsScore = userInfo.threatEventsScore
// Replace '' with your specific event context key
// var variable = userInfo.
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
});
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
13
// var variable = userInfo.<Context Keys>
14
15
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
16
});
import 'dart:async';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
class PlatformChannel extends StatefulWidget {
const PlatformChannel({super.key});
@override
State createState() => _PlatformChannelState();
}
class _PlatformChannelState extends State {
// Replace with your EventChannel name
static const String _eventChannelName = "AccessibilityServiceDetected";
static const EventChannel _eventChannel = EventChannel(_eventChannelName);
@override
void initState() {
super.initState();
_eventChannel.receiveBroadcastStream().listen(_onEvent, onError: _onError);
}
void _onEvent(Object? event) {
setState(() {
// Adapt this section based on your specific event data structure
var eventData = event as Map;
// Example: Accessing 'externalID' field from the event
var externalID = eventData['externalID'];
// Customize the rest of the fields based on your event structure
String message = eventData['message']; // Message shown to the user
String reasonData = eventData['reasonData']; // Threat detection cause
String reasonCode = eventData['reasonCode']; // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
String currentThreatEventScore = eventData['currentThreatEventScore'];
// Total threat events score
String threatEventsScore = eventData['threatEventsScore'];
// Replace '' with your specific event context key
// String variable = eventData[''];
});
}
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
43
// String variable = eventData['<Context Keys>'];
44
});
45
}
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// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
48
}
Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Android Apps by using Detect Accessibility Service Abuse. 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 Accessibility Service Abuse
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:
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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