This repository contains:

• DPSpec - the Android 6.0 permission specification produced from various documentation formats in Android SDK.

• DroidPerm - a static analysis tool for recommending runtime permission check insertion points in Android apps.

 

DPSpec

All files are in droid-perm/config:

• perm-def-api-23.xml - permissions from annotaton xml files supplied with AndroidSDK, up to API 23. This is the version discussed in the paper. If you install Android SDK, these annotations are located in android-sdk/platform-tools/api/annotations.zip

• perm-def-api-25.xml - same specification for API 25.

• perm-def-play-services.xml - permissions from google play API.

• javadoc-perm-def-API-23.xml - permissions mined from Android SDK Javadoc.

• perm-def-manual.xml - permissions collected manually by inspecting apps from f-droid.org

Additionally:

• checker-param-sens-def.xml - Other permission-related configs used by DroidPerm: permission checkers, requesters, parametric sensitives.

 

To use DPSpec in your project

The easiest way is to copy the code from org.oregonstate.droidperm.perm.miner.jaxb_out and load the classes through JAXB. In DroidPerm this is done in JaxbUtil.load().

 

Installing DroidPerm

Prerequisites

• Java 8.

• Android SDK 23.

• Intellij Idea

Setup instructions

• Create directory DroidPerm

• Inside DroidPerm clone the following:

https://github.com/AndroidPermissions/droid-perm

https://github.com/denis-bogdanas/soot

https://github.com/denis-bogdanas/soot-infoflow

https://github.com/denis-bogdanas/soot-infoflow-android

• Create a new EMPTY Intellij project inside DroidPerm. It’s importnant to make it empty at this point, e.g. don’t create any module.

• Import soot project using this guide: https://github.com/Sable/soot/wiki/Building-Soot-with-IntelliJ-IDEA With the following exceptions:

  • Step 8: Use Java 8.

  • Step 9: Remove dependencies for projects jasmin and heros. Add dependencies for directory “droid-perm\lib\lib_soot\” Check the box “export” for this directory.

  • Go to module settings -> sources. Select language level 7.

• Import modules from existing sources for soot-infoflow, soot-infoflow-android. For both use import from “eclipse model”, Java 8 SDK, language level 7, similar to above. After import remove red dependencies to heros/jasmin.

• In soot-infoflow, if it creates a dependence to “ECLIPSE”, remove it.

• In module settings -> soot -> dependencies -> AXMLPrinter2.jar: Check the box “export”.

• Import module droid-perm. For this open modulesettings -> import -> directory droid-perm -> select droid-perm.iml.

• Import the project DroidPerm. If you did the previous steps properly it should not require extra configurations.

• At this point you should be able to build the project.

 

Running DroidPerm

Executing DroidPerm with default settings

Create a run configuration with following settings:

• Main class: org.oregonstate.droidperm.main.DroidPermMain

• working directory: DroidPerm\droid-perm

• classpath of module: droid-perm

• program arguments:

<path to the apk file to analyze>
droid-perm/config/android-23-util+async.zip

 

Displaying help

Same as above with no arguments.

Test apps

https://github.com/AndroidPermissions/perm-test

• this repository contains the collection of test apps developed alongside DroidPerm.

 

Interpreting the results

Log file is divided into several sections. Each section starts with a header followed by =======================

Sections, starting from the end:

• Sensitives in context in the call graph - lists the sensitives

• Checkers in context in the call graph - checkers found in the app

• Requests in context in the call graph - permission requests

• next 3 sections: same as above but for each entry the list of callbacks from which it is reached.

• Next few sections are used for undetected permissions analysis.

• “Output for droid-perm-plugin, required permissions for statements directly inside callbacks” - this section shows where permission checks should be inserted.

• Paths from each callback to each sensitive - enumerates all paths from callbacks to sensitives, with points-to data for each virtual method call.

 

Updating DroidPerm inside DroidPermPlugin (outdated)

Prerequisites

• Latest version of IntelliJ IDEA IDE with JDK 1.7 or higher

• Latest revision of Android SDK (API 23)

• Optional: Latest revision of Android NDK (API 23); build requirement for some Android apps

• Base version of droid-perm project with all sub-modules from Denis' USB stick

• Latest version of DroidPermPlugin project

Steps

1. git update modules droid-perm and android-23-api-crafted from the droid-perm project

   • Note: Additional modules within droid-perm might require updates; specifically soot, soot-infoflow, and soot-infoflow-android

2. Load droid-perm project into IntelliJ IDEA; if not open from previous step

3. Build the droid-perm.jar by selecting Build -> Build Artifacts... -> droid-perm:jar -> Build

   • Note: Selecting Rebuild instead of Build might be required in some instances

4. Build the droid-perm project by selecting Build -> Make Project

5. Open the following locations from a file explorer application:

   • .../DroidPerm/android-23-api-crafted/out/production/android-23-api-crafted/

   • .../DroidPerm/run-dir/lib/android-23-cr-stubs.zip

6. Copy the android, java, and org folders from .../android-23-api-crafted/ into the android-23-cr-stubs.zip

7. Locate the droid-perm.jar (built in step 3) at .../DroidPerm/out/artifacts/droid_perm_jar/droid-perm.jar

8. Copy both droid-perm.jar and android-23-cr-stubs.zip to .../DroidPermPlugin/dp-lib/

9. Rename the copied android-23-cr-stubs.zip to android-23-cr+util_io.zip; replacing the old version

10. Copy the directory config from .../DroidPerm/droid-perm/ to .../DroidPermPlugin/dp-lib/.

Troubleshooting

• Check that all module dependencies are correct by selecting File -> Project Structure -> Modules and for each module, validate that none of the items on the Dependencies tab are red. Also, verify whether the Module SDK has been set properly.

• Check that all libraries and modules within the Artifact are configured properly by selecting File -> Project Structure -> Artifacts and verifying that droid-perm:jar does not contain any items in red within the Output Layout tab.

• If droid-perm ran successfully, but results were empty:

  • Check the last modification date of jaxb classes; the format may haved changed.

  • Check the XML output generated by droid-perm.

DroidPerm evaluation

This page contains our evaluation corpus and results: evaluation summary.md