Increase in Code Obfuscation Practices in Android Apps
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🔒🎭 Study Reveals Growing Use of Code Obfuscation in Android Apps. An analysis of over 500,000 Android APKs from the Google Play Store over eight years highlights a 13% increase in code obfuscation techniques from 2016 to 2023. The study identifies ProGuard and Allatori as the most commonly used obfuscation tools, particularly prevalent in top-ranked applications and gaming genres like Casino apps. While obfuscation helps protect developers from app repackaging and piracy, it also complicates security investigations, as it can be misused for malicious purposes. This research is the first large-scale examination of obfuscation practices in the Google Play Store, offering valuable insights for both developers and security analysts.
