Signature Verification Based on Dex CRC and Blake2 Algorithm to Prevent Reverse Engineering Attack in Android Application

Abstract

The rapid growth of Android applications has led to more cybercrime cases, specifically Reverse Engineering attacks, on Android apps. One of the most common cases of reverse engineering is application repackaging, where the application is downloaded via the Play Store or the official website and then repackaged with various additions or changes. One of the ways to avoid Application Repackaging attacks is to check the signature of an application. However, hackers can manipulate the application by adding a hook, i.e., replacing the original function for getting signatures with a new modified function in the application. In this research, the development of a verification method for Android applications is carried out by utilizing Dex CRC and the Blake2 algorithm, which will be written in C using the Java Native Interface (JNI). The results of this study indicate that the verification method using Dex CRC and the Blake2 algorithm can effectively protect Android applications from Application Repackaging attacks without burdening application performance.