• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.11-18
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• 2016

Due to open source policy, Android systems are exposed to a variety of security problems. In particular, app reuse attacks are detrimental threat to the Android system security. This is because attacker can create core malign components and quickly generate a bunch of malicious apps by reusing these components. Hence, it is very imperative to discern whether Android apps contain reused components. To meet this need, we propose an Android app reuse analysis technique based on the Sequential Hypothesis Testing. This technique quickly makes a decision with a few number of samples whether a set of Android apps is made through app reuse. We performed experimental study with 6 malicious app groups, 1 google and 1 third-party app group such that each group consists of 100 Android apps. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed analysis technique efficiently judges Android app groups with reused components.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.205-214
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• 2019

Android uses app cache files to improve app execution performance. However, this optimization technique may raise security issues that need to be examined. In this paper, we present a practical design of "Android app cache manipulation attack" to intentionally modify the cache files of a target app, which can be misused for stealing personal information and performing malicious activities on target apps. Even though the Android framework uses a checksum-based integrity check to protect app cache files, we found that attackers can effectively bypass such checks via the modification of checksum of the target cache files. To demonstrate the feasibility of our attack design, we implemented an attack tool, and performed experiments with real-world Android apps. The experiment results show that 25 apps (86.2%) out of 29 are vulnerable to our attacks. To mitigate app cache manipulation attacks, we suggest two possible defense mechanisms: (1) checking the integrity of app cache files; and (2) applying anti-decompilation techniques.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.1209-1223
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• 2018

Android apps are made up of bytecode, so they are vulnerable to reverse engineering, and protection services are emerging that robustly repackage the app to compensate. Unlike cryptographic algorithms, the robustness of these protection services depends heavily on hiding the protection scheme. Therefore, there are few systematic discussions about the protection method even if destruction techniques of the protection service are various. And it is implemented according to the intuition of the developer. There is a need to discuss systematic protection schemes for robust security chains, rather than simple deployment of techniques disrupting static or dynamic analysis. In this paper, we analyze bangcle, a typical commercial Android app protection service, to examine the protection structure and vulnerable elements. We propose the requirements for robust structure and principles of protection structure.

• Convergence Security Journal
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.9-15
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• 2012

In recently years, repackaged malwares are becoming increased rapidly in Android smartphones. The repackaging is a technique to disassemble an app in a market, modify its source code, and then re-assemble the code, so that it is commonly used to make malwares by inserting malicious code in an app. However, it is impossible to collect all the apps in many android markets including too many apps. To solve the problem, we propose RePAD (RePackaged App Detector) scheme that is composed of a client and a remote server. In the smartphone-side, the client extracts the information of an app with low CPU overhead when a user installs the app. The remote server analyzes the information to decide whether the app is repackaged or not. Thus, the scheme reduces the time and cost to decide whether apps are repackaged. For the experiments, the client and server are implemented as an app on Galaxy TAB and PC respectively. We indicated that seven pairs of apps among ones collected in official and unofficial market are repackaged. Furthermore, RePAD only increases the average of CPU overhead of 1.9% and the maximum memory usage of 3.5 MB in Galaxy TAB.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.617-623
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• 2018

This study focuses on detection of malicious code through AndroidManifest permissoion feature extracted based on Android static analysis. Features are built on the permissions of AndroidManifest, which can save resources and time for analysis. Malicious app detection model consisted of SVM (support vector machine), NB (Naive Bayes), Gradient Boosting Classifier (GBC) and Logistic Regression model which learned 1,500 normal apps and 500 malicious apps and 98% detection rate. In addition, malicious app family identification is implemented by multi-classifiers model using algorithm SVM, GPC (Gaussian Process Classifier) and GBC (Gradient Boosting Classifier). The learned family identification machine learning model identified 92% of malicious app families.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1375-1380
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• 2021

Korea's security response to application service app is still insufficient due to the initial opening of the public safety network. Therefore, preemptive security measures are essential. In this study, we proposed to establish a 'public safety network app security system' to prevent potential vulnerabilities to the app store that distributes app in public safety network and android operating system that operate app on dedicated terminal devices. In order for an application service app to be listed on the public safety network mobile app store, a dataset of malicious and normal app is first established to extract characteristics and select the most effective AI model to perform static and dynamic analysis. According to the analysis results, 'Safety App Certificate' is certified for non-malicious app to secure reliability for listed apps. Ultimately, it minimizes the security blind spots of public safety network app. In addition, the safety of the network can be secured by supporting public safety application service of certified apps.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.65-72
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• 2020

In this paper, we developed a web-based DApp system based on a private blockchain by applying machine learning techniques to automatically identify Android malicious apps that are continuously increasing rapidly. The optimal machine learning model that provides 96.2587% accuracy for Android malicious app identification was selected to the authorized experimental data, and automatic identification results for Android malicious apps were recorded/managed in the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain system. In addition, a web-based DApp system was developed so that users who have been granted the proper authority can use the blockchain system. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the security in the Android mobile app usage environment through the development of the machine learning-based Android malicious app identification block chain DApp system presented. In the future, it is expected to be able to develop enhanced security services that combine machine learning and blockchain for general-purpose data.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.1210-1230
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• 2015

Android is the world's most utilized smartphone OS which consequently, also makes it an attractive target for attackers. The most representative method of hacking used against Android apps is known as repackaging. This attack method requires extensive knowledge about reverse engineering in order to modify and insert malicious codes into the original app. However, there exists an easier way which circumvents the limiting obstacle of the reverse engineering. We have discovered a method of exploiting the Android code-signing process in order to mount a malware as an example. We also propose a countermeasure to prevent this attack. In addition, as a proof-of-concept, we tested a malicious code based on our attack technique on a sample app and improved the java libraries related to code-signing/verification reflecting our countermeasure.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.141-149
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• 2023

Repacked mobile apps constitute about 78% of all malware of Android, and it greatly affects the technical ecosystem of Android. Although many methods exist for repacked app detection, most of them suffer from performance issues. In this manuscript, a novel method using the Constant Key Point Selection and Limited Binary Pattern (CKPS: LBP) Feature extraction-based Hashing is proposed for the identification of repacked android applications through the visual similarity, which is a notable feature of repacked applications. The results from the experiment prove that the proposed method can effectively detect the apps that are similar visually even that are even under the double fold content manipulations. From the experimental analysis, it proved that the proposed CKPS: LBP method has a better efficiency of detecting 1354 similar applications from a repository of 95124 applications and also the computational time was 0.91 seconds within which a user could get the decision of whether the app repacked. The overall efficiency of the proposed algorithm is 41% greater than the average of other methods, and the time complexity is found to have been reduced by 31%. The collision probability of the Hashes was 41% better than the average value of the other state of the art methods.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.157-167
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• 2016

Task environment for enterprises and public institutions are moving into cyberspace-based environment and structing the LTE wireless network. The applications "App" operated in the LTE wireless network are mostly being developed with Android-based. But Android-based malwares are surging and they are the potential DDoS attacks. DDoS attack is a major information security threat and a means of cyber attacks. DDoS attacks are difficult to detect in advance and to defense effectively. To this end, a DMZ is set up in front of a network infrastructure and a particular server for defensive information security. Because There is the proliferation of mobile devices and apps, and the activation of android diversify DDoS attack methods. a DMZ is a limit to detect and to protect against DDoS attacks. This paper proposes an information security method to detect and Protect DDoS attacks from the terminal phase using a Preemptive military strategy concept. and then DDoS attack detection and protection app is implemented and proved its effectiveness by reducing web service request and memory usage. DDoS attack detection and protecting will ensure the efficiency of the mobile network resources. This method is necessary for a continuous usage of a wireless network environment for the national security and disaster control.