VB2018 paper: Unpacking the packed unpacker: reversing an Android anti-analysis library

Though still relatively new (the

first VB conference paper

on

Android

malware was presented in 2011), malware targeting the

Android

mobile operating system has evolved quickly, in terms of both quantity and quality. Many of the characteristics of desktop malware are now also seen in

Android

malware – for example, the use of anti-analysis techniques, and the use of libraries for such techniques, is a sign of the commoditization of

Android

malware.

One such library was found in more than 5,000

Android

malware samples, including newer variants of the

Chamois

ad fraud malware. In reference to its many layers,

Google

researcher Maddie Stone named the library ‘WeddingCake’.

In a

paper

presented at VB2018 in Montreal, Maddie took apart the library and its many layers – an analysis which will be helpful not just to those who come across WeddingCake in their research, but also for those analysing similar libraries.

The library checks if the

Monkey

application is running, which would indicate it is running inside an emulator.

Today, we published Maddie’s paper in both

HTML

and

PDF

format. We have also uploaded the video of Maddie’s talk to our

YouTube

channel.

A call for papers for

VB2019

(London, 2-4 October) will open this week. Sponsor/partner opportunities for VB2019 – the most international threat intelligence conference – are now

available

.