How to Detect Hooking Frameworks in iOS 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 Hooking Frameworks in iOS apps.
What Are Hooking Frameworks?
Dynamic hooking involves attackers inserting custom code into a mobile app to alter its behavior at runtime by intercepting function or method calls. This enables attackers to execute malicious code alongside legitimate app functions, often used to bypass security checks, manipulate login processes, or prompt users for sensitive information. Tools like Frida make dynamic hooking accessible, allowing attackers to interact with the app’s running processes. Preventing dynamic hooking is essential for securing sensitive app functions, ensuring compliance with anti-tampering standards, and protecting user data from unauthorized manipulation.
How Appdome Protects Mobile Apps Against Hooking Frameworks?
Appdome’s Detect Hooking Frameworks plugin identifies and prevents common hooking methods and frameworks, such as Frida, that attempt to intercept and modify function or method calls. Appdome also detects any code injected into the app’s process memory and prevents it from executing, ensuring that the app’s behavior remains secure and unaltered.
Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Hooking Frameworks Plugins:
To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Detect Hooking Frameworks , you’ll need:
- Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
- A license for Hooking Frameworks
- Mobile App (.ipa for iOS)
- Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)
How to Implement Detect Hooking Frameworks in iOS Apps Using Appdome
On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending iOS Apps that Detect Hooking Frameworks 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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iOS Formats: .ipa
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Hooking Frameworks is compatible with: Obj-C, Java, Swift, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other iOS apps.
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Select the defense: Hooking Frameworks.
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Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Hooking Frameworks feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.
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When you enable Prevent Code Injection you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Hooking Frameworks.
Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Hooking Frameworks 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 Hooking Frameworks feature as shown below:Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Hooking Frameworks feature
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Add the Hooking Frameworks feature to your security template.
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Navigate to Build > Anti Fraud tab > Mobile Malware Prevention section in the Appdome Console.
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Toggle On Prevent Code Injection > Hooking Frameworks.
Figure 4: Selecting Detect Hooking Frameworks
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. -
Configure the User Experience Options for Hooking Frameworks:
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 Hooking Frameworks
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Hooking Frameworks Threat Code™. Appdome uses AI/ML to generate a unique code each time Hooking Frameworks 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 Hooking Frameworks protection is now added to the mobile app -
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Certify the Hooking Frameworks feature in iOS Apps
After building Hooking Frameworks, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Hooking Frameworks protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Hooking Frameworks 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 Hooking Frameworks has been added to each iOS app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Hooking Frameworks 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 iOS Apps by using Hooking Frameworks. 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 Hooking Frameworks
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.
Related Articles:
- How to Block Memory Editing tools for Android & iOS apps
- How to Prevent Code Injection & Process Injection in Mobile Apps
- How to Prevent Fake iOS Apps using Signature Validation
- How to Optimize File Size, Code Obfuscation Best Practices in Android & iOS Apps
- How to Use Runtime Bundle Validation to Prevent Dynamic Modding in Android & iOS apps
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.