Apparatus and method for managing APK file in an android platform

• US 9,535,942 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SEWORKS, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SEWORKS, Inc.
• Inventors: Hong, Dong Cheol, Kim, Chung Hui, Kim, Dong Seon, Gwon, Ji Suk, Hong, Min Pyo
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, THANH HA T
• Application Number:
  US14/821,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20160132547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 707/690
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/14 against software analysis or reverse engineering, e.g. by obfuscation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for managing an APK file in the Android platform in order to forestall an executable file in an APK file from being analyzed by reverse engineering or decompiling that comprises a file reader that reads an original .dex file in the APK file, a file modifier that modifies the original .dex file the file reader has read and stores the modified .dex file in a readable folder in the APK file, a file creator that accesses the folder to read and restore the original .dex file, creates a temporary .dex file that is can be loaded onto memory and adds the temporary .dex file to the APK file in order to create a protected APK file and a file executer that reads from the folder and restores, if the Android platform requests the protected APK file to be executed, the modified original .dex file by executing the temporary .dex file and loads the restored original .dex file onto memory in order to execute the protected APK file.

Claims

1. A method for managing an Android application package (hereinafter referred to as “

APK”

) file in the Android platform including;

a stage in which a file reader reads an original .dex file in the APK file;

a stage in which a file modifier modifies the original .dex file which the file reader has read and stores the modified .dex file in a readable folder in the APK file;

a stage in which a file creator accesses the folder to read and restore the original .dex file, creates a temporary .dex file that is loaded onto memory and adds the temporary .dex file to the APK file in order to create a protected APK file;

a stage in which a file executer reads from the folder and restores, if the Android platform requests the protected APK file to be executed, the modified original .dex file by executing the temporary .dex file; and

a stage that loads the restored original .dex file onto memory and executes the protected APK file, wherein the stage that stores the modified .dex file in a readable folder in the APK file reads the original .dex file and compresses or encrypts the original .dex file then stores the compressed or encrypted original .dex file in the folder, and

wherein the stage that creates the protected APK file creates the temporary .dex file creating code that accesses, by a function the Android platform provides, the folder, wherein the stage that creates the protected APK file reads and restores the modified original .dex file and loads the restored .dex file onto memory.