This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously
deliver plugins that Obfuscate iOS Logic in iOS apps.
What Is iOS Logic Obfuscation?
iOS logic obfuscation is a technique used to make the app’s code harder to understand and reverse engineer. Reverse engineering iOS applications allows attackers to analyze the compiled code, exposing sensitive information, intellectual property, or security vulnerabilities. Attackers use reverse engineering to steal proprietary algorithms, inject malicious code, or bypass security mechanisms. The process is facilitated by tools like Hopper or IDA Pro, which break down iOS app binaries for analysis. Obfuscating the code—by renaming classes, methods, and variables or introducing complex logic—complicates this process, deterring attackers and protecting the app’s core logic from exploitation.
How Appdome Protects Mobile Apps with iOS Logic Obfuscation?
Appdome’s dynamic iOS Logic Obfuscation plugin renames classes, methods, and variables in the app to random names, making reverse engineering significantly harder and more time-consuming. This obfuscation ensures that even if attackers manage to access the app’s binary, understanding its functionality becomes difficult. Additionally, by complicating the process of identifying key functions, the risk of tampering, code injection, or data theft is minimized. This automatic renaming of critical parts of the app ensures robust protection without impacting the app’s functionality, maintaining its security while preserving the user experience.
Prerequisites for Using Appdome's iOS Logic Obfuscation Plugins:
To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Obfuscate iOS Logic , you’ll need:
Upload an app via the Appdome Mobile Defense platform GUI or via Appdome’s DEV-API or CI/CD Plugins.
iOS Formats: .ipa
iOS Logic Obfuscation is compatible with:
Obj-C, Java, Swift, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other iOS apps.
Select the defense: iOS Logic Obfuscation.
Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the iOS Logic Obfuscation feature as shown below:
Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the iOS Logic Obfuscation feature
Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the iOS Logic Obfuscation feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.
When you select the iOS Logic Obfuscation you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains iOS Logic Obfuscation.
Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added iOS Logic Obfuscation 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 iOS Logic Obfuscation feature to your security template.
Navigate to Build > Security tab > TOTALCode™ Obfuscation section in the Appdome Console.
Like all other options in ONEShield™, iOS Logic Obfuscation is turned on by default, as shown below:
Figure 4: Selecting iOS Logic Obfuscation
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 > iOS Logic Obfuscation.
Figure 4: Selecting Obfuscate iOS Logic
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 iOS Logic Obfuscation protection is now added to the mobile app
Certify the iOS Logic Obfuscation feature in iOS Apps
After building iOS Logic Obfuscation, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the iOS Logic Obfuscation protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the iOS Logic Obfuscation 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 iOS Logic Obfuscation has been added to each iOS app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that iOS Logic Obfuscation and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.
Using Threat-Events™ for iOS Logic Intelligence and Control in iOS Apps
Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when iOS Logic is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for
iOS Logic in iOS Apps, use AddObserverForName in Notification Center, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for iOS Logic shown below.
The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for iOS Logic are:
Threat-Event™ Elements
Obfuscate iOS Logic Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name
iOS Logic Obfuscation
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
x
Visible in ThreatScope™
x
Developer Parameters for Obfuscating iOS Logic Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME
Threat-Event DATA
reasonData
Threat-Event CODE
reasonCode
Threat-Event REF
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.
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
updatedOSVersion
Is the OS version up to date
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), iOS developers can get detailed attack intelligence and granular defense control in iOS applications and create amazing user experiences for all mobile end users when iOS Logic is detected.
The following is a code sample for native iOS apps, which uses all values in the specification above for iOS Logic Obfuscation:
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.
let center = NotificationCenter.default
center.addObserver(forName: Notification.Name(""), object: nil, queue: nil) { (note) in
guard let usrInf = note.userInfo else {
return
}
let message = usrInf["message"]; // Message shown to the user
let reasonData = usrInf["reasonData"]; // Threat detection cause
let reasonCode = usrInf["reasonCode"]; // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
let currentThreatEventScore = usrInf["currentThreatEventScore"];
// Total threat events score
let threatEventsScore = usrInf["threatEventsScore"];
// Replace '' with your specific event context key
// let variable = usrInf[""];
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
24
});
25
}];
const { ADDevEvents } = NativeModules;
const aDDevEvents = new NativeEventEmitter(ADDevEvents);
function registerToDevEvent(action, callback) {
NativeModules.ADDevEvents.registerForDevEvent(action);
aDDevEvents.addListener(action, callback);
}
export function registerToAllEvents() {
registerToDevEvent(
"",
(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)"", // 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("", 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 = "";
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
}
46
47
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
48
}
Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured iOS Apps by using iOS Logic Obfuscation. 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 iOS Logic Obfuscation
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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