The ease of executing a repackaging attack is alarming. An attacker only needs to: (1) download the original APK from an official store, (2) decompile it using free tools like APKTool, (3) inject malicious code (often written in Smali, the human-readable representation of Dalvik bytecode), (4) repackage the APK, and (5) sign it with a custom certificate. This entire process requires no advanced hacking skills.
These advanced modifications almost always require working directly with Smali code—the human-readable assembly language for Android's Dalvik Virtual Machine. Smali files are generated when decompiling an APK and represent the app's bytecode in a form that can be analyzed and modified. For example, to bypass a license check, a developer might locate the Smali method that verifies the license and modify its logic to always return "valid." Repackaging toolkits typically include Smali reference guides to help with this process. apkefor repack
Technical methods and workflow
Repackaging involves:
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