Introduction

In this chapter, we are going to see some components of the Android security architecture in action by directly engaging with them, specifically those focused on protecting applications. "You never really understand anything until you get your hands dirty." This is what this chapter tries to inspire; actually getting down and dirty with some of the security mechanisms, dissecting them, and really getting to know what they are all about.

We're going to cover just the bare minimum here, the tips and tricks that'll get you the information you need from an application, should you ever want to reverse engineer it or perform a pervasive hands-on security assessment for Android applications, or if you're just purely interested in finding out more about application security.