How to Use frida-trace to Log Android App Calls Without Writing a Script
frida-trace logs Android function calls and arguments without a pre-written hook script: native and Java patterns, spawn vs attach, and refining handlers live.
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Tag: reverse-engineering
How to Find Hardcoded API Keys and Secrets in an APK
Hardcoded API keys are a common APK flaw — and with Google keys becoming Gemini credentials, the stakes are higher. Find them with APKLeaks and jadx.
How to Intercept Android App Traffic with mitmproxy (and Read What It Sends)
Install mitmproxy on Android and read every request an app makes: CA certificate install, proxy setup, HTTPS interception, and fixes when apps resist.
How to Decode, Edit, and Rebuild an APK with Apktool (and Sign It So It Installs)
Apktool decodes an APK into readable smali and rebuilds it after edits: the full decode-edit-build-sign loop with 3.0.3, framework files, and error fixes.
How to Hook Android App Methods with Frida: Java.use, Overloads, and Native Hooks
Five Frida hooking patterns cover nearly all Android dynamic analysis: Java.use, overload(), $init, Java.choose(), Interceptor.attach(), spawn vs attach.
Smali Basics: How to Read Android Bytecode When JADX Isn’t Enough
When JADX fails on obfuscated apps, smali — Dalvik bytecode in readable form — is the ground truth: method anatomy, type descriptors, and key opcodes.
How to Analyze a Unity IL2CPP Android App with Il2CppDumper
Unity IL2CPP games hide code in libraries, not DEX. Extract libil2cpp.so and global-metadata.dat from an APK and rebuild the C# API surface with Il2CppDumper.
How to Decompile an APK to Java Source with JADX (and When It Won’t Work)
JADX turns an APK’s Dalvik bytecode into readable Java; apktool decodes resources and rebuilds the app. How to install both, and where decompilation stops.