How to Use Android Memory Protection to Defeat Memory Editing in Android Apps

Last updated May 2, 2024 by Appdome

Learn to Protect Android Memory in Android apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

What is Android Memory protection?

Using Appdome Android Memory Protection, Android mobile app and game developers can protect the data stored in RAM by protecting the data while the app is being used. Android Memory Protection secures app-specific data stored in the application’s memory during runtime. This prevents malicious actors from accessing or attempting to modify the application’s memory in order to perform malicious actions such as cheating in games, stealing user information, or modifying mobile app functionality, logic or behavior while the app is being used.

Why Protect Android Memory in Android Apps?

In order to function, every mobile app needs to store many different kinds of data in memory (RAM) while the application is being used. This can include user data, strings including credentials, passwords, or keys, and other application-specific data, such as mobile game values, scores, in-app purchase data and more. Cybercriminals often target a running application’s memory and attempt to harvest, access or modify data while it is transiently stored in memory, for example by dumping the application memory while the data is in use. The sensitive memory might be saved to disk, stored in a core dump, or remain uncleared if the application crashes, or if the programmer does not properly clear the memory before freeing it.

Prerequisites for Using Android Memory Protection:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Protect Android Memory , you’ll need:

Protect Android Memory on Android apps using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Protect Android Memory without an SDK or gateway:

  1. Upload the Mobile App to Appdome.

    1. Upload an app to Appdome’s Mobile App Security Build System

    2. Upload Method: Appdome Console or DEV-API
    3. Android Formats: .apk or .aab
    4. Android Memory Protection Compatible With: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps
  2. Build the feature: Android Memory Protection.

    1. Building Android Memory Protection by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

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

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Android Memory Protection feature
        Note: Naming the Fusion Set to correspond to the protection(s) selected is for illustration purposes only (not required).

      3. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Android Memory Protection feature via Appdome Console, to add the Android Memory Protection feature to this Fusion Set.

      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 2: Fusion Set Detail Summary
        Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      5. Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, App Center, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Circle CI or other system:
        1. Build an API for the app – for instructions, see the tasks under Appdome API Reference Guide
        2. Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository
    2. Building the Android Memory Protection feature via Appdome Console

      To build the Android Memory Protection protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.

      1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Anti Fraud Tab > Mobile Fraud Detection section.
      2. How: Check whether is toggled On (enabled), otherwise enable it . The feature Android Memory Protection is enabled by default, as shown below. Toggle (turn ON) Android Memory Protection, as shown below.
        If needed, Customize the Threat Notification to be displayed to the mobile end-user in a standard OS dialog notification when Appdome Protects Android Memory.
        Android Memory Protection option

        Figure 3: Protect Android Memory option
        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.

      3. When you select the Android Memory Protection you'll notice that your Fusion Set you created in step 2.1.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Android Memory Protection

        Fusion Set applied Android Memory Protection

        Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Android Memory Protection protection

      4. Click Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 3).
    Congratulations!  The Android Memory Protection protection is now added to the mobile app
  3. Certify the Android Memory Protection feature in Android Apps

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

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

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

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

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Android Memory are:

Threat-Event™ Elements Protect Android Memory Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name Android Memory Protection
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 Protecting Android Memory 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.
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

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 Android Memory is detected.


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


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 Android Apps by using Android Memory Protection. 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 Memory Protection

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:

Check out Mobile Fraud Detection or request a demo at any time.

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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