How to Detect Mobile Auto Clicker Permissions in Android Apps Using AI
This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions in Android apps.
What are Auto-Clickers Permissions?
App permissions define what an app can access or manipulate on a device. Auto-Clickers Permissions, in particular, allow any app to generate automated clicks, essentially turning it into an auto-clicker. As a result, even seemingly harmless apps can exploit these permissions to bypass security controls, automate fraudulent actions, or disrupt normal app functionality. As a result, they pose a significant security risk by enabling attackers to manipulate user interactions without consent.
How Does Appdome Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions in Android Apps?
Appdome detects Auto-Clickers Permissions by identifying a specific combination of permissions on the device that indicate the ability to generate automated clicks. This approach allows security teams to pinpoint potential threats without relying on behavioral analysis alone. By detecting these permissions early, Appdome helps prevent malicious apps from exploiting them to bypass security measures, automate fraud, or manipulate user interactions. Proactively identifying these risks strengthens app security, ensuring a safer and more trustworthy mobile experience.
Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions Plugins:
To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions , you’ll need:
- Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
- A license for Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions
- Mobile App (.apk or .aab for Android)
- Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)
How to Implement Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions in Android Apps Using Appdome
On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions without an SDK or gateway:
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Designate the Mobile App to be protected.
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Upload an app via the Appdome Mobile Defense platform GUI or via Appdome’s DEV-API or CI/CD Plugins.
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Android Formats: .apk or .aab
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Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions is compatible with: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.
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Select the defense: Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions.
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Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.
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When you enable Detect Auto-Clickers you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions.
Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions 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
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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:
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Refer to the Appdome API Reference Guide for API building instructions.
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Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository.
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Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions feature as shown below:Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions feature
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Add the Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions feature to your security template.
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Navigate to Build > Anti Fraud tab > Mobile Fraud Detection section in the Appdome Console.
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Toggle On Detect Auto-Clickers > Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions.
(a) Choose to monitor this attack vector by checking the Threat Events checkbox associated with Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions 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.Figure 4: Selecting Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions
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. -
Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions:
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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 Auto-Clickers Permissions.
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Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection
When this setting is used, Appdome detects Auto-Clickers Permissions 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 Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
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Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense
When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Auto-Clickers Permissions (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 Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
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Configure the User Experience Options for Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions:
With Threat-Events™ OFF, Appdome provides several user experience options for mobile brands and developers.- 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.
- Short message Option. This is available for mobile devices that allow a banner notification for security events.
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Localized Message Option. Allows Appdome users to support global languages in security notifications.
Figure 5: Default User Experience Options for Appdome’s Auto-Clickers Permissions
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Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions Threat Code™. Appdome uses AI/ML to generate a unique code each time Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions 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.
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Congratulations! The Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions protection is now added to the mobile app -
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Certify the Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions feature in Android Apps
After building Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below:
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 Auto-Clickers Permissions has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.
Using Threat-Events™ for Auto-Clickers Permissions Intelligence and Control in Android Apps
Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Auto-Clickers Permissions are detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for Auto-Clickers Permissions in Android Apps, use registerReceiver in the Application OnCreate, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Auto-Clickers Permissions shown below.
The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Auto-Clickers Permissions are:
Threat-Event™ Elements | Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions Method Detail |
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Appdome Feature Name | Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions |
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 Auto-Clickers Permissions Threat-Event™ | |
Threat-Event NAME | ClickBotDetectedByPermissions |
Threat-Event DATA | reasonData |
Threat-Event CODE | reasonCode |
Threat-Event REF | 6909-1 |
Threat-Event SCORE | |
currentThreatEventScore | Current Threat-Event score |
threatEventsScore | Total Threat-events score |
Threat-Event Context Keys | |
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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. |
clickBotPermissionDetectionMethod | Detection method |
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 Auto-Clickers Permissions are detected.
The following is a code sample for native Android apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions:
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.
xxxxxxxxxx
IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
intentFilter.addAction("ClickBotDetectedByPermissions");
BroadcastReceiver threatEventReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
String message = intent.getStringExtra("message"); // Message shown to the user
String reasonData = intent.getStringExtra("reasonData"); // Threat detection cause
String reasonCode = intent.getStringExtra("reasonCode"); // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
String currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore");
// Total threat events score
String threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore");
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// String variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>");
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
};
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter, Context.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED);
} else {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter);
}
Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Android Apps by using Detect Auto-Clickers Permissions. 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 Auto-Clickers Permissions
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:
- Customizing, Configuring & Branding Secure Mobile Apps.
- Deploying/Publishing Secure mobile apps to Public or Private app stores.
- Releasing Secured Android & iOS Apps built on Appdome.
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.