IEICE Transactions on Information and Systems
Online ISSN : 1745-1361
Print ISSN : 0916-8532
Special Section on Next-generation Security Applications and Practice
Hiding Data in the Padding Area of Android Applications without Re-Packaging
Geochang JEONJeong Hyun YIHaehyun CHO
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2022 Volume E105.D Issue 11 Pages 1928-1929

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Abstract

Anonymous attackers have been targeting the Android ecosystem for performing severe malicious activities. Despite the complement of various vulnerabilities by security researchers, new vulnerabilities are continuously emerging. In this paper, we introduce a new type of vulnerability that can be exploited to hide data in an application file, bypassing the Android's signing policy. Specifically, we exploit padding areas that can be created by using the alignment option when applications are packaged. We present a proof-of-concept implementation for exploiting the vulnerability. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of VeileDroid by using a synthetic application that hides data in the padding area and updates the data without re-signing and updating the application on an Android device.

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© 2022 The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers
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