Controlling Interactions with Libraries in Android Apps Through Runtime Enforcement

• DOI: 10.1145/3368087
• Publication Date: 2019-12-09T13:35:27Z
• Authors: Oliviero Riganelli; Daniela Micucci; Leonardo Mariani
• Keywords: Software Engineering (cs.SE); FOS: Computer and information sciences; Computer Science - Software Engineering; Android; Policy enforcement; Proactive library; Resource leak; Resource usage; Runtime enforcement; Self-healing;; 0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering; 02 engineering and technology; Proactive library, self-healing, Android, resource leak, resource usage, policy enforcement, runtime enforcement

Android applications are executed on smartphones equipped with a variety of resources that must be properly accessed and controlled, otherwise the correctness executions stability entire environment might negatively affected. For example, apps acquire, use, release microphones, cameras, other multimedia devices, behavior use same compromised. Unfortunately, several do not correctly, for instance, due to faults inaccurate design decisions. By interacting these apps, users may experience unexpected behaviors, which in turn cause instability sporadic failures, especially when accessed. In this article, we present an approach lets protect their from improperly by enforcing correct usage protocol. This is achieved using software enforcers can observe change them necessary. detect resource has been acquired but released automatically perform operation, thus giving possibility apps. The main idea libraries, particular, ones controlling access resources, augmented activated deactivated demand unwanted app behaviors. We call libraries one or more proactive , because activation enforcer decorates library behaviors guarantee execution despite invocation operations implemented library. time proactively it. Our experimental results 27 possible misuses real reveal able effectively negligible runtime overheads.