How to use Appdome's OneShield Anti-Tampering in Android Apps

Last updated February 16, 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 Enforce Android Anti-Tampering in Android apps.

What is Android App Tampering and Why is Protection Essential?

Android app tampering involves unauthorized modifications to an app’s code, runtime behavior, or environment using tools like APKTool and JEB Decompiler. Attackers decompile and repackage apps, inject malicious scripts, alter permissions, or disable security controls to steal data, bypass authentication, or distribute counterfeit versions. Tampered apps introduce severe security risks, leading to fraud, credential theft, and data breaches. On rooted or compromised devices, tampering can alter app behavior, making it unstable or exploitable. Defending against tampering is critical for preventing unauthorized modifications, ensuring compliance with PCI DSS and GDPR, and protecting sensitive transactions, user credentials, and in-app payments. As attackers refine techniques to automate code modification and bypass defenses, strong anti-tampering measures become essential for securing Android applications from emerging threats.

 

How Appdome Protects Android Apps With Anti-Tampering?

Appdome’s dynamic Anti-Tampering plugin for Android detects and blocks unauthorized modifications in real-time, preserving app integrity. It prevents code injection, debugging, and unauthorized repackaging by continuously monitoring the app’s runtime behavior and environment. Anti-tampering measures detect suspicious changes in memory, validate code integrity, and restrict app execution in compromised environments. Mobile developers can leverage Appdome’s Threat-Events™ to monitor tampering attempts and implement dynamic responses, ensuring continuous protection across the app lifecycle.

 

Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Android Anti-Tampering Plugins:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Enforce Android Anti-Tampering , you’ll need:

How to Implement Enforce Android Anti-Tampering in Android Apps Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Enforce Android Anti-Tampering 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. Android Anti-Tampering is compatible with: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.
  2. Select the defense: Android Anti-Tampering.

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Android Anti-Tampering feature as shown below:
        fusion set that contains Android Anti-Tampering

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Android Anti-Tampering feature

      2. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Android Anti-Tampering feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.

      3. When you enable App Shielding you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Android Anti-Tampering.

        Fusion Set applied Android Anti-Tampering

        Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Android Anti-Tampering protection
        Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      4. 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): fusion Set Detail Summary image

        Figure 3: Fusion Set Detail Summary

      5. 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.
    1. Add the Android Anti-Tampering feature to your security template.

      1. Navigate to Build > Security tab > ONEShield™ section in the Appdome Console.
        Like all other options in ONEShield™, Android Anti-Tampering is turned on by default, as shown below: Android Anti-Tampering option

        Figure 4: Selecting Android Anti-Tampering
        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.

      2. Configure the User Experience Options for Android Anti-Tampering:
        With Threat-Events™ OFF, Appdome provides several user experience options for mobile brands and developers.
        1. 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.
        2. Short message Option. This is available for mobile devices that allow a banner notification for security events.
        3. Localized Message Option. Allows Appdome users to support global languages in security notifications.

          Localized Message

          Figure 5: Default User Experience Options for Appdome’s Android Anti-Tampering

        4. Android Anti-Tampering Threat Code™. Appdome uses AI/ML to generate a unique code each time Android Anti-Tampering 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.
    2. 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 Android Anti-Tampering protection is now added to the mobile app
  3. Certify the Android Anti-Tampering feature in Android Apps

    After building Android Anti-Tampering, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Android Anti-Tampering protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Android Anti-Tampering protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below: Android Anti-Tampering shown in Certificate secure

    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 Anti-Tampering has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Android Anti-Tampering and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.


Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Apps by using Android Anti-Tampering. 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 Anti-Tampering

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:

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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.

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