How to Prevent MiTM Attacks in Android Apps
This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Prevent MiTM Attacks in Android apps.
What are MiTM Attacks?
A Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack on mobile apps occurs when an attacker intercepts and potentially alters the communication between a mobile app and its server or between two parties communicating through the app. The attacker positions themselves between the communication channels, allowing them to eavesdrop on sensitive data, manipulate the information being transmitted, or even inject malicious content. Following are some common techniques hackers use to conduct MitM attacks on mobile apps.
Interception via Malicious Proxies: The attacker intercepts the communication between the mobile app and the server or between two users of the app.
Monitoring: The attacker can monitor the exchanged data, including login credentials, personal information, or any other sensitive data.
Modification: In some cases, the attacker may modify the data being transmitted. For example, they could inject malicious code into the communication to compromise the security of the app or manipulate the information being exchanged.
Impersonation: The attacker might impersonate one of the communicating parties to gain unauthorized access or privileges.
Common techniques for carrying out MitM attacks on mobile apps include:
Wi-Fi Eavesdropping: Attackers may exploit vulnerabilities in unsecured Wi-Fi networks to intercept and manipulate data.
DNS Spoofing: Manipulating the Domain Name System (DNS) to redirect the app’s traffic to a server controlled by the attacker.
SSL Stripping: Downgrading secure HTTPS connections to unencrypted HTTP, making it easier for the attacker to intercept sensitive data.
Rogue Mobile Apps: Creating malicious mobile apps that appear legitimate but intercept and manipulate data.
MitM attacks can result in financial losses for both users and app developers. For example, attackers might gain unauthorized access to financial transactions or sensitive payment information or even use MitM attacks to gain unauthorized access to or compromise backend systems and APIs.
Why Prevent MiTM Attacks in Android Apps?
Appdome MiTM Prevention ensures that all mobile sessions, connections, and certificates are valid and trusted. Appdome’s malicious proxy prevention and Man-in-the-Middle attack protection work by detecting any intercepted session by an unauthorized or unknown party attempting to redirect traffic to a malicious server or proxy. This feature helps to keep your app’s communication secured and prevent Man-in-the-Middle attacks and other session-hijacking techniques.
Developers should implement MitM attack prevention in mobile apps to enhance overall security and protect sensitive user data. MitM attacks pose significant risks, and taking preventive measures is crucial for data confidentiality and data integrity. By implementing MitM Attack Prevention, developers can ensure the confidentiality of sensitive data such as login credentials, personal information, and financial details, as well as ensure that the information is not tampered with in transit.
Implementing MitM prevention also helps establish secure and trustworthy connections between the mobile app and the server. This is essential for user trust and confidence in the app’s security. Many data protection regulations and standards require the implementation of security measures to safeguard user information. Preventing MitM attacks helps developers comply with these regulations and avoid legal and regulatory consequences.
Note: If one or more domains are present in both “MiTM Prevention” and “Secure Certificate Pinning, ” when the same domain is used in both features, the pinning scheme must be set to “No Pinning.”
Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Android MiTM Prevention Plugins:
To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Prevent MiTM Attacks , you’ll need:
- Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
- A license for Android MiTM Prevention
- Mobile App (.apk or .aab for Android)
- Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)
How to Implement Prevent MiTM Attacks in Android Apps Using Appdome
On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Prevent MiTM Attacks without an SDK or gateway:
-
Designate the Mobile App to be protected.
-
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
-
Android MiTM Prevention is compatible with: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.
-
-
Select the defense: Android MiTM Prevention.
-
-
Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Android MiTM Prevention feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.
-
When you select the Android MiTM Prevention you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Android MiTM Prevention.
Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Android MiTM Prevention 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:
-
Refer to the Appdome API Reference Guide for API building instructions.
-
Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository.
-
Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Android MiTM Prevention feature as shown below:Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Android MiTM Prevention feature
-
-
Add the Android MiTM Prevention feature to your security template.
-
Navigate to Build > Security tab > Secure Communication section in the Appdome Console.
-
Toggle On > Android MiTM Prevention.
(a) Choose to monitor this attack vector by checking the Threat Events checkbox associated with Android MiTM Prevention as shown below.
(b) To receive mobile Threat Monitoring, check the ThreatScope™ box as shown below. For more details, see our knowledge base article on ThreatScope™ Mobile XDR.Figure 4: Selecting Prevent MiTM Attacks
Note: The Appdome Platform displays the Mobile Operation Systems supported by each defense in real-time. For more details, see our OS Support Policy KB. -
Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Android MiTM Prevention:
-
Threat-Events™ OFF > In-App Defense
If the Threat-Events™ setting is not selected. Appdome will detect and defend the user and app by enforcing MiTM Attacks.
-
Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection
When this setting is used, Appdome detects for MiTM attacks 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™ to Android MiTM PreventionPrevent Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
-
Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense
When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against MiTM Attacks (same as Appdome Enforce) and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence to 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 Android MiTM PreventionPrevent Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
-
-
Configure the User Experience Options for Android MiTM Prevention:
With Threat-Events™ OFF, Appdome provides several user experience options for mobile brands and developers.- App Compromise Notification: Customize the pop-up or toast Appdome uses to notify the user when a threat is present while using the protected mobile app.
- Short message Option. This is available for mobile devices that allow a banner notification for security events.
-
Localized Message Option. Allows Appdome users to support global languages in security notifications.
Figure 5: Default User Experience Options for Appdome’s MiTM Attacks
-
Android MiTM Prevention Threat Code™. Appdome uses AI/ML to generate a unique code each time Android MiTM Prevention is triggered by an active threat on the mobile device. Use the code in Appdome Threat Resolution Center™ to help end users identify, find and resolve active threats on the personal mobile devices.
-
Congratulations! The Android MiTM Prevention protection is now added to the mobile app -
-
Certify the Android MiTM Prevention feature in Android Apps
After building Android MiTM Prevention, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Android MiTM Prevention protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Android MiTM Prevention protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below:
Figure 6: 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 Android MiTM Prevention has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Android MiTM Prevention and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.
Using Threat-Events™ for MiTM Attacks Intelligence and Control in Android Apps
Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when MiTM Attacks are detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for MiTM Attacks in Android Apps, use registerReceiver in the Application OnCreate, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for MiTM Attacks shown below.
The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for MiTM Attacks are:
Threat-Event™ Elements | Prevent MiTM Attacks Method Detail |
---|---|
Appdome Feature Name | Android MiTM Prevention |
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 Preventing MiTM Attacks Threat-Event™ | |
Threat-Event NAME | SslCertificateValidationFailed |
Threat-Event DATA | reasonData |
Threat-Event CODE | reasonCode |
Threat-Event REF | 6500 |
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. |
host | The host that failed certificate validation |
DeveventDetailedErrorMessage | Error message |
extendedMessageText | Extended message |
certificateCN | Certificate common name |
certificateSHA1 | Certificate SHA1 |
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 MiTM Attacks are detected.
The following is a code sample for native Android apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Android MiTM Prevention:
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.
xxxxxxxxxx
IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
intentFilter.addAction("SslCertificateValidationFailed");
BroadcastReceiver threatEventReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
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 '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// String variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>");
// 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);
}
xxxxxxxxxx
val intentFilter = IntentFilter()
intentFilter.addAction("SslCertificateValidationFailed")
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 '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// var variable = intent?.getStringExtra("<Context Key>")
// 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)
}
xxxxxxxxxx
const { ADDevEvents } = NativeModules;
const aDDevEvents = new NativeEventEmitter(ADDevEvents);
function registerToDevEvent(action, callback) {
NativeModules.ADDevEvents.registerForDevEvent(action);
aDDevEvents.addListener(action, callback);
}
export function registerToAllEvents() {
registerToDevEvent(
"SslCertificateValidationFailed",
(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 '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// var variable = userinfo["<Context Key>"]
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
);
}
x
RegisterReceiver(new ThreatEventReceiver(), new IntentFilter("SslCertificateValidationFailed"));
class ThreatEventReceiver : BroadcastReceiver
{
public override void OnReceive(Context context, Intent intent)
{
// Message shown to the user
String message = intent.GetStringExtra("message");
// Threat detection cause
String reasonData = intent.GetStringExtra("reasonData");
// Event reason code
String reasonCode = intent.GetStringExtra("reasonCode");
// Current threat event score
String currentThreatEventScore = intent.GetStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore");
// Total threat events score
String threatEventsScore = intent.GetStringExtra("threatEventsScore");
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// String variable = intent.GetStringExtra("<Context Key>");
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
}
x
NSNotificationCenter.DefaultCenter.AddObserver(
(NSString)"SslCertificateValidationFailed", // 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 '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// var variable = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("<Context Keys>");
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
);
xxxxxxxxxx
window.broadcaster.addEventListener("SslCertificateValidationFailed", 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 '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// var variable = userInfo.<Context Keys>
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
});
x
import 'dart:async';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
class PlatformChannel extends StatefulWidget {
const PlatformChannel({super.key});
State<PlatformChannel> createState() => _PlatformChannelState();
}
class _PlatformChannelState extends State<PlatformChannel> {
// Replace with your EventChannel name
static const String _eventChannelName = "SslCertificateValidationFailed";
static const EventChannel _eventChannel = EventChannel(_eventChannelName);
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 '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// String variable = eventData['<Context Keys>'];
});
}
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Android Apps by using Android MiTM Prevention. 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 Android MiTM Prevention
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:
- Customizing, Configuring & Branding Secure Mobile Apps.
- Deploying/Publishing Secure mobile apps to Public or Private app stores.
- Releasing Secured Android & iOS Apps built on Appdome.
Related Articles:
How to Prevent Session Hijacking Attacks, Prevent MiTM Attacks in Android & iOS Apps
How to Prevent MiTM Attacks in iOS Apps
How Do I Learn More?
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.