Adversaries may use Android’s Native Development Kit (NDK) to write native functions that can achieve execution of binaries or functions. Like system calls on a traditional desktop operating system, native code achieves execution on a lower level than normal Android SDK calls.
The NDK allows developers to write native code in C or C++ that is compiled directly to machine code, avoiding all intermediate languages and steps in compilation that higher level languages, like Java, typically have. The Java Native Interface (JNI) is the component that allows Java functions in the Android app to call functions in a native library.[1]
Adversaries may also choose to use native functions to execute malicious code since native actions are typically much more difficult to analyze than standard, non-native behaviors.[2]
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| S0540 | Asacub | |
| S0432 | Bread |
Bread has used native code in an attempt to disguise malicious functionality.[4] |
| S0529 | CarbonSteal |
CarbonSteal has seen native libraries used in some reported samples [5] |
| S0555 | CHEMISTGAMES |
CHEMISTGAMES has utilized native code to decrypt its malicious payload.[6] |
| S0544 | HenBox | |
| S0545 | TERRACOTTA |
TERRACOTTA has included native modules.[8] |
This type of attack technique cannot be easily mitigated with preventive controls since it is based on the abuse of system features.
This is abuse of standard OS-level APIs and are therefore typically undetectable to the end user.