Latest update: as this tool has quite some usage, I decided to create a usable GUI as working in the command line is not as comfortable as in a clickable GUI. It will be rewrite in C++ with an QT gui. Updates will follow.

As I was not happy with the current debuggers available for APKs I tried writing my own. For the final outcome watch: https://asciinema.org/a/328262

It allows single stepping through smali code including watching and modifing locals.

It is based on two steps first it annotates the APK with extra debug information and later debugs the annotated APK. Of course if there are anti tamper checks those will trigger.

It starts the application on the emulator/device and connects to it using jdb. Basically the debugger is a wrapper around jdb using extra debug information.

It should be fairly easy to use, using the following steps:

pip install -r requirements.txt

# decompile using apktool
apktool d target.apk

# create annotated smali files
python prepare_app.py -f target

# recompile apk
apktool b target

# sign and install
testsign target/dist/target.apk
adb install target/dist/target.apk

# and start the debuggin
python jdb++.py -n com.example.target -a MainActivity

The apktool and install steps can be included into the prepare step, this is a future todo.

If you want your apk to stop on the main entry point you have to set a breakpoint in the .jdbrc file in your home directory.

stop in com.example.target.MainActivity.onCreate(android.os.Bundle)

After the debugger will stop on this breakpoint and you are free to debug and investigate annotated locals.

All commands which are not handled are directly forwarded to jdb.

Only tested on arm64-v8a it pushes gdbserver to /data/local/tmp directory and attaches to the process (APK). It opens a new terminal (xfce4-terminal) and connects to it. It runs a series of gdb commands to avoid loading information of all shared libraries, because this simply takes ages. It only loads custom libraries and no system libs, this minimizes the startup overhead. Breakpoints on functions have to be set, this can be done by parsing the load address (info shared command) to the nbp command od jdb++. This will return all function addresses which start with Java_, this is done by invoking radare2 so it might take a while.

There are so many todos I dont know where to start, be aware it is in a very beta state.

• add logic for adding Breakpoints automatically
• keep locals in order
• ...

• 07.2.2021

  1. add new-array instruction to prepare step
  2. small fixes

• 18.6.2020

  1. fix of native support, gdb hang sometimes during debugging this was due to the --remote-debug flag which is very verbose and filled the subprocess pipe until it hang.

• 11.6.2020

  1. command line flag for rooted devices
  2. minor bug fixes
  3. native debugging support using prebuilt gdbserver and gdb from the android ndk, paths have to be set in definitions.py file. The peda-arm file is from alset0326. This appraoch works quite nice, and is less heavy than attaching IDA's android server.
     It also loads only custom libraries, no system libraries, this makes the whole startup really fast (seconds!).

Dont hesitate to ask, leave a comment or a pull request