Software Model Checking: A Promising Approach to Verify Mobile App Security

TL;DR

This paper advocates using software model checking for mobile app security analysis, demonstrating its effectiveness in detecting app collusion in Android through the Kandroid tool, and suggesting broader applicability.

Contribution

Introduction of the Kandroid tool that encodes Android code semantics for model checking, enabling security analysis of app collusion and potential extension to other properties and systems.

Findings

Effective detection of app collusion in Android.

Kandroid enables formal security analysis of APK files.

Potential applicability to other security properties and mobile OS.

Abstract

In this position paper we advocate software model checking as a technique suitable for security analysis of mobile apps. Our recommendation is based on promising results that we achieved on analysing app collusion in the context of the Android operating system. Broadly speaking, app collusion appears when, in performing a threat, several apps are working together, i.e., they exchange information which they could not obtain on their own. In this context, we developed the Kandroid tool, which provides an encoding of the Android/Smali code semantics within the K framework. Kandroid allows for software model checking of Android APK files. Though our experience so far is limited to collusion, we believe the approach to be applicable to further security properties as well as other mobile operating systems.