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Cross-app collaboration via inter-component communication is a fundamental mechanism on Android. Although it brings the benefits such as functionality reuse and data sharing, a threat called component hijacking is also introduced. By…
Mobile app stores produce a tremendous amount of data in the form of user reviews, which is a huge source of user requirements and sentiments; such reviews allow app developers to proactively address issues in their apps. However, only a…
The ubiquity of smartphones, and their very broad capabilities and usage, make the security of these devices tremendously important. Unfortunately, despite all progress in security and privacy mechanisms, vulnerabilities continue to…
Mobile apps provide various critical services, such as banking, communication, and healthcare. To this end, they have access to our personal information and have the ability to perform actions on our behalf. Hence, securing mobile apps is…
Android-based smart devices are exponentially growing, and due to the ubiquity of the Internet, these devices are globally connected to the different devices/networks. Its popularity, attractive features, and mobility make malware creator…
In the current software development environment, third-party libraries play a crucial role. They provide developers with rich functionality and convenient solutions, speeding up the pace and efficiency of software development. However, with…
With the continuous growth in the usage of Android apps, ensuring their security has become critically important. An increasing number of malicious apps adopt anti-analysis techniques to evade security measures. Although some research has…
Mobile databases are the statutory backbones of many applications on smartphones, and they store a lot of sensitive information. However, vulnerabilities in the operating system or the app logic can lead to sensitive data leakage by giving…
As the dominant mobile operating system, Android continues to attract a substantial influx of new applications each year. However, this growth is accompanied by increased attention from malicious actors, resulting in a significant rise in…
Android is a widely used operating system that employs a permission-based access control model. The Android Permissions System (APS) is responsible for mediating application resource requests. APS is a critical component of the Android…
The Android ecosystem faces a notable challenge known as fragmentation, which denotes the extensive diversity within the system. This issue is mainly related to differences in system versions, device hardware specifications, and…
As applications grow in capability, they also grow in complexity. This complexity in turn gets pushed into modules and libraries. In addition, hardware configurations become increasingly elaborate, too. These two trends make understanding,…
Repackaging is a serious threat to the Android ecosystem as it deprives app developers of their benefits, contributes to spreading malware on users' devices, and increases the workload of market maintainers. In the space of six years, the…
Problem: We address the challenge in responsible computing where an exploitable mobile app is misused by one app user (an abuser) against another user or bystander (victim). We introduce the idea of a misuse audit of apps as a way of…
Applications depend on libraries to avoid reinventing the wheel. Libraries may have incompatible changes during evolving. As a result, applications will suffer from compatibility failures. There has been much research on addressing…
Android users are now suffering severe threats from unwanted behaviors of various apps. The analysis of apps' audit logs is one of the essential methods for some device manufacturers to unveil the underlying malice within apps. We propose…
Android Framework is a layer of software that exists in every Android system managing resources of all Android apps. A vulnerability in Android Framework can lead to severe hacks, such as destroying user data and leaking private…
Android applications (apps) grow dramatically in recent years. Apps are user interface (UI) centric typically. Rapid UI responsiveness is key consideration to app developers. However, we still lack a handy tool for profiling app performance…
Performance issues in Android applications significantly undermine users' experience, engagement, and retention, which is a long-lasting research topic in academia. Unlike functionality issues, performance issues are more difficult to…
Third-party libraries are a cornerstone of fast application development. To enable efficient use, libraries must provide a well-designed API. An obscure API instead slows down the learning process and can lead to erroneous use. The usual…