How to Protect Android Apps Against BlankBot Malware
Learn how to detect and protect against BlankBot Android malware using Appdome’s no-code unified mobile app defense platform.
What is BlankBot Malware?
BlankBot is an emerging Android banking trojan identified in July 2024, primarily targeting users in Europe and Asia. It propagates through malicious applications disguised as legitimate apps, often distributed via third-party app stores. Once installed, BlankBot exploits Android’s accessibility services to gain elevated permissions, enabling it to mimic user actions such as tapping, swiping, and entering data, and intercept sensitive information like passwords, PINs, and account details. By establishing an encrypted communication channel with its command-and-control (C&C) server, BlankBot allows attackers to issue real-time commands to control app interactions, steal data, and execute fraudulent transactions. This process is further enhanced by live screen monitoring, enabling attackers to dynamically adjust their actions, bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA), and carry out On-Device Fraud (ODF) without relying on methods like Automatic Transfer Systems (ATS) or overlay attacks. These capabilities make BlankBot a highly effective tool for financial fraud, providing attackers with detailed insights into user actions while evading detection by traditional security tools.
How Does Appdome Protect Against BlankBot?
Taking all the above into consideration, you can use Appdome to protect against BlankBot using a combination of the following protection methods:
- RASP & App Shielding – Prevents BlankBot from injecting itself into installed apps and repackaging them. Also includes anti-tampering, anti-debugging, anti-emulator, and other protections against dynamic attacks at runtime.
- Code Obfuscation – Protects against decompiling and malicious reverse engineering which hackers use to read and understand source code.
- Root Detection – Protects mobile apps from running on rooted devices, which exposes apps to tampering, data theft, and malware by giving attackers elevated access to system files and app data.
- MitM Attack Prevention – Prevents BlankBot from intercepting or hijacking sessions to harvest or steal data.
- Keylogging Prevention – Prevents the use of malicious keyloggers which may be used to intercept two-factor authentication codes or harvest sensitive information.
- Protect Against Screen Sharing Malware – Prevents malware from abusing screen recording and screen sharing functions to benefit the malware.
- Block App Overlay Attacks – Detects and prevents fake/malicious screen overlays from displaying on top of the app screen and concealing the legitimate app screen. Mobile malware and Trojans like BlankBot use overlay attacks to trick users into revealing sensitive information or performing harmful actions inadvertently.
- Prevent Accessibility Services Malware – Prevents malicious actions taken by malware that exploit Android’s AccessibilityService, which when abused can be used to intercept sensitive inputs like passwords and 2FA codes, take screenshots, and simulate user actions such as taps and swipes.
- Prevent Remote Desktop Control – Detects 3rd party apps that attempt to remotely control the protected app, typically via social engineering or tricking the user.
- Google Play Store Signature Validation – protects against fake apps, clones, masquerading, which malware often do to trick users into performing harmful actions.
Each of the protections above is linked to the relevant knowledge base article for that feature, which provides detailed information about each feature and explains how to implement the protection in your Android app.
Prerequisites
To use Appdome’s to protect Android apps against BlankBot, you’ll need the following:
- Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
- A license for the relevant features mentioned above.
- Mobile App (.apk or .aab for Android)
- Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps).
Related Articles:
- How to Protect Android Apps Against BrasDex Malware
- How to Protect Android Apps Against Xenomorph Malware
- How to Protect Android Apps Against CraxsRAT Malware
- How to Protect Android Apps Against FjordPhantom Malware
- How to Protect Android Apps Against Octo
- How to Protect Android Apps Against Panda Malware
- How to Protect Android Apps Against Brokewell Malware
- How to Protect Android Apps Against Hiddad Malware
If you have any questions, please send them our way at support.appdome.com or via the chat window on the Appdome platform.
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