App Core Code Protection via Peripheral Encryption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Android applications are vulnerable to reverse engineering attacks, leading to copyright infringement and data leakage, as existing source-obfuscation techniques do not effectively prevent the extraction and analysis of source codes.
Innovation Solution
A user terminal and method that securely store and manage application core codes by encrypting them using user terminal identification information, separating core and general code files, and executing the application using decrypted core codes stored in a peripheral device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If source-obfuscation techniques are used to increase analysis time, then application security is improved, but the application code remains vulnerable to reverse engineering extraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the application code into two separate components: a core code file containing critical functions and a general code file containing non-critical functions. The core code file is encrypted and stored separately in a peripheral device, while the general code file is executed locally. This segmentation prevents attackers from extracting the complete source code, as the core code remains encrypted and separated from the executable application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the core code file from the application and stores it in a peripheral device separate from the main application execution environment. By taking out the most critical code portion and storing it externally with encryption, the system prevents reverse engineering attacks on the core functionality while allowing the application to run with the general code file.
2Reliability
If core code is encrypted and stored in peripheral device, then reverse engineering protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a peripheral device as an intermediary component to store and manage the encrypted core code file. This peripheral device acts as a mediator between the application execution environment and the protected core code, simplifying the overall system architecture by offloading the complexity of secure code storage and management to a dedicated external component rather than integrating it into the main application structure.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a user terminal and a method of protecting a core code of an application using the same. The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a user terminal which protects a core code of an application program, including: a communication unit configured to receive a core code file of the application program from a peripheral which stores the core code file when the core code of the application program is authenticated; an encryption-decryption unit configured to encrypt the received core code file and transmit it to the peripheral, and to receive the encrypted core code file from the peripheral and decrypt it when the application program is executed; and an execution unit configured to execute the application program by using the decrypted core code file and a general code file of the application program installed in the user terminal. As such, according to the present invention, it is possible to protect a core code of an application program against a reverse engineering attack by respectively storing a general code file and a core code file of the application program in a user terminal and a peripheral capable of communicating with the user terminal.