Man In The Middle Android APK Network Traffic

android apk malware analysis man in the middle
In this article, we discuss how to use Man In The Middle (MITM) on Android APK HTTPS traffic for malware analysis. Intercepting traffic from a malicious Android app can provide crucial information about its behavior and risks. Using MITM Proxy, we explore the benefits of this technique and provide a detailed walkthrough.
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Introduction

Mobile devices have become an essential part of our daily lives. As such, the use of mobile applications has become more widespread. However, with the increasing use of mobile applications comes the risk of malware, spyware, and other malicious software that can harm our devices and compromise our privacy. One of the most effective ways to detect such software is to analyze APKs (Android application packages) and the network traffic they generate.

Analyzing APKs can be challenging, particularly if they are heavily obfuscated. However, with the help of tools like MITM Proxy, the task can be made much more manageable. In this article, we will take a closer look at MITM Proxy and how it can be used to analyze APKs.

What You'll Need


What is MITM Proxy?

MITM Proxy is a tool used for intercepting and analyzing HTTP and HTTPS traffic. It acts as a "man in the middle" between the client and the server, allowing it to intercept and modify traffic as it passes through. MITM Proxy is an open-source tool that is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

MITM Proxy provides a range of features that make it a powerful tool for analyzing network traffic. These include:
  1. Intercepting and modifying HTTP and HTTPS traffic
  2. SSL certificate verification and generation
  3. Request/response inspection and modification
  4. Traffic replay
  5. Scripting support for automation and customizing behavior
  6. HTTP/2 and WebSocket support
  7. Proxy chaining support

How to Analyze APKs with MITM Proxy

Analyzing APKs with MITM Proxy involves a few steps. The first step is to set up a testing environment that includes an Android emulator and MITM Proxy. Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Set up an Android emulator

To set up an Android emulator, you'll need to download and install Android Studio. Android Studio is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Once you've installed Android Studio, follow these steps:
  1. Open Android Studio and click on the "Configure" button.
  2. Click on "AVD Manager".
  3. Click on "Create Virtual Device".
  4. Choose a device that you want to emulate and click "Next".
  5. Choose a system image that you want to use and click "Next".
  6. Click "Finish" to create the emulator.


Step 2: Set up MITM Proxy

Once you've set up the Android emulator, the next step is to set up MITM Proxy. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Download and install MITM Proxy from the official website.
  2. Open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the directory where you installed MITM Proxy.
  3. Start MITM Proxy by running the command "mitmdump".


Step 3: Configure the Android emulator to use MITM Proxy

The next step is to configure the Android emulator to use MITM Proxy. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Open the Android emulator.
  2. Go to "Settings".
  3. Go to "Wi-Fi".
  4. Long-press on the Wi-Fi network you're connected to and select "Modify network".
  5. Scroll down and select "Show advanced options".
  6. Under "Proxy", select "Manual".
  7. Enter the IP address of the machine running MITM Proxy and the port number (default is 8080).
  8. Click "Save".


Step 4: Install the APK on the Android emulator

The final step is to install the APK you want to analyze on the Android emulator. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the directory where the APK is located.
  2. Type the command "adb install [APK file name].apk" to install the APK on the emulator.
  3. Once you have completed these steps, you're ready to start analyzing the APK with MITM Proxy.

Analyzing APKs with MITM Proxy

Now that you have set up the testing environment, it's time to start analyzing the APK with MITM Proxy. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Intercept the APK's network traffic

The first step is to intercept the APK's network traffic. To do this, open the MITM Proxy console and look for the request from the Android emulator. You should see the APK making requests to various domains and endpoints.


Step 2: Inspect the request and response data

The next step is to inspect the request and response data. You can do this by clicking on the request and response tabs in the MITM Proxy console. Here, you can see the headers and body of the request and response, which can give you insights into the behavior of the APK.


Step 3: Analyze the network traffic for IOCs

The next step is to analyze the network traffic for IOCs (indicators of compromise). This includes looking for domains, IP addresses, and ports that are associated with known malware, spyware, or other malicious software. You can use various threat intelligence feeds and tools to help with this analysis.


Step 4: Replay the network traffic

Once you have identified potentially malicious traffic, you can replay it to see how the APK behaves. This can help you understand the behavior of the APK in more detail and identify additional IOCs.

Conclusion

Analyzing APKs with MITM Proxy is a powerful way to detect malware, spyware, and other malicious software that can harm our devices and compromise our privacy. By intercepting and analyzing the network traffic generated by an APK, you can gain valuable insights into its behavior and identify potential IOCs.

While the process of analyzing APKs can be challenging, tools like MITM Proxy can make the task much more manageable. With the right testing environment and a good understanding of the techniques involved, you can become proficient at analyzing APKs and detecting malicious software.