How to Protect Mobile Apps from Overlay Attacks & Malware 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 Overlay Attacks in Android apps.

What Are Overlay Attacks?

An Overlay Attack on mobile apps involves creating a fake screen overlay that appears as part of the legitimate app, tricking users into entering sensitive data or performing unintended actions. Attackers use overlays to mimic UI elements, like login screens or payment forms, to capture credentials or initiate unauthorized transactions. Examples of overlay malware include Marcher and Svpeng, which steal data by creating fake overlays over popular apps. AI-powered overlays can mimic trusted app interfaces, making it hard for users to distinguish real interactions from scams, increasing fraud risks in sectors like e-commerce and banking. Compliance with anti-fraud standards is crucial to protect against these attacks.

How Appdome Protects Mobile Apps From Overlay Attacks?

Appdome’s dynamic Detect Overlay Attack plugin identifies malicious overlay screens that attempt to intercept user interactions. It monitors for unauthorized UI elements layered atop the app interface, commonly used in phishing and credential theft attacks. The plugin detects suspicious behaviors from applications like “System Overlay Window” and “Screen Overlay Detector,” which can create deceptive overlays. Upon detection, it can automatically disable specific app functionalities, log the event, or terminate the session, ensuring the app operates securely and maintains its integrity. Mobile developers can leverage Appdome’s Threat-Events™ to collect detailed data and implement tailored in-app responses based on detected threats.

Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Detect Overlay Attacks Plugins:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Detect Overlay Attacks , you’ll need:

How to Implement Detect Overlay Attacks in Android Apps Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Detect Overlay Attacks 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. Detect Overlay Attacks is compatible with: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.
  2. Select the defense: Detect Overlay Attacks.

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Detect Overlay Attacks feature as shown below:
        fusion set that contains Detect Overlay Attacks

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Detect Overlay Attacks feature

      2. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Detect Overlay Attacks feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.

      3. When you select the Detect Overlay Attacks you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Detect Overlay Attacks.

        Fusion Set applied Detect Overlay Attacks

        Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Detect Overlay Attacks 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 Detect Overlay Attacks feature to your security template.

      1. Navigate to Build > Anti ATO tab > Mobile Account Protection section in the Appdome Console.
      2. Toggle On > Detect Overlay Attacks.

        (a) Choose to monitor this attack vector by checking the Threat Events checkbox associated with Detect Overlay Attacks 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.
        Detect Overlay Attacks option

        Figure 4: Selecting Detect Overlay 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.

      3. Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Detect Overlay Attacks:
        1. 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 Overlay Attacks.

        2. Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection

          When this setting is used, Appdome detects overlay 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 Detect Overlay AttacksDetect Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.

        3. Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense

          When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Overlay 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 Detect Overlay AttacksDetect Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.

      4. Configure the User Experience Options for Detect Overlay Attacks:
        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 Overlay Attacks

        4. Detect Overlay Attacks Threat Code™. Appdome uses AI/ML to generate a unique code each time Detect Overlay Attacks 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.
      5. Optional Configuration with Detect Overlay Attacks:
        1. Trust Specified Activities Only

          Specify the class name of the activity to exclude from Overlay detection

    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 Detect Overlay Attacks protection is now added to the mobile app
  3. Certify the Detect Overlay Attacks feature in Android Apps

    After building Detect Overlay Attacks, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Detect Overlay Attacks protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Detect Overlay Attacks protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below: Detect Overlay Attacks 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 Detect Overlay Attacks has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Detect Overlay Attacks and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.

Using Threat-Events™ for Overlay Attacks Intelligence and Control in Android Apps

Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Overlay Attacks are detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for Overlay Attacks in Android Apps, use registerReceiver in the Application OnCreate, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Overlay Attacks shown below.

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Overlay Attacks are:

Block Touch EventsWhen this setting is used, Appdome detects Overlay Attacks or Touch Events, blocks them from reaching the app, and then passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence the app’s business logic for processing. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see the section Using Threat-Events™ for Block App Overlay Attacks Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps

Threat-Event™ Elements Detect Overlay Attacks Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name Detect Overlay Attacks
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 Overlay Attacks Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME OverlayDetected
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.
reason Type of overlay
data Overlay activity path

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 Overlay Attacks are detected.


The following is a code sample for native Android apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Detect Overlay Attacks:


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.



Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Apps by using Detect Overlay Attacks. 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 Overlay Attacks

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:

Related Articles:

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.

Want a Demo?

Mobile Account Protection

AlanWe're here to help
We'll get back to you in 24 hours to schedule your demo.

Search Appdome Solutions

Search
Ai Driven Attacks With Tampering Blog

AI-Driven Scams and Fraud

As AI-driven attacks become more sophisticated and common, developers and organizations must keep up. With AI agents, liveness and voice recognition checks no longer matter. That means app makers…