DEPRODEXCATOR: A TOOL FOR DECOMPILING AND DEOBFUSCATING PROGUARD AND DEXGUARD OBFUSCATED ANDROID APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Software code is a valuable asset for developers and organizations, but its protection from theft has become increasingly important in the digital age. Code obfuscation is somehow significant for protecting software against hacking, reverse engineering, and piracy, which can result in significant financial losses for software developers and businesses. Code obfuscation can help software owners safeguard their intellectual property, However, it can also enable malicious actors to conceal malware within the code. Code obfuscation does not prevent reverse engineering, rather, it complicates the process of understanding the code. This document presents a solution for deobfuscating the Proguard and DexGuard obfuscation techniques applied to Android Java Applications. A tool named DeProDexcator is developed which can decompile Android Java applications and deobfuscates applications obfuscated by ProGuard and DexGuard. DeProDexcator takes an APK as input, decompiles it, and offers various options to the user to analyze the decompiled code and deobfuscate the control flow and layout obfuscation techniques applied by ProGuard and DexGuard through static code  analysis. Through identification of the correct program flow and analyzing the code through code  comparison and efficient searching methods, DeProDexcator can effectively deobfuscate ProGuard and DexGuard-protected Android applications.