Haiqing Wang

53 papers B 1C 2Journal 28Unranked 22
YearRankTypeTitle / Venue / Authors
2025 J jnl
Briefings Bioinform.
Mingjuan Wang, Xuetong Chen, Mingxing Liu, Huiying Luo, Shuangshuang Zhang, Jie Guo, Jinghui Wang, Li Zhou, Na Zhang, Hongyan Li, Chao Wang, Liang Li, Zhenzhong Wang, Haiqing Wang, Zihu Guo, Yan Li, Yonghua Wang
2025 J jnl
Gov. Inf. Q.
Yikai Liang, Yuyan Cao, Mei Chen, Hao Dong, Haiqing Wang
2025 J jnl
IEEE Trans. Veh. Technol.
Haiqing Wang, Jiuxiang Dong
2024 conf
IEEE SENSORS
Shunmei Dong, Qinglong Wang, Haiqing Wang, Qianqian Wang
2024 J jnl
Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf.
Hao Sun, Ming Yang, Haiqing Wang
2024 conf
SCIS/ISIS
Haiqing Wang, Zeyuan Ju, Chouyu Chen, Zhipeng Liu, Qiong Fu, Shangce Gao
2024 J jnl
CoRR
Yanchu Guan, Dong Wang, Yan Wang, Haiqing Wang, Renen Sun, Chenyi Zhuang, Jinjie Gu, Zhixuan Chu
2024 J jnl
Remote. Sens.
Yunshu Wang, Bin Ding, Haiqing Wang, Qian Meng, Yuan Zhuang, Haonan Jia
2024 J jnl
IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst.
Haiqing Wang, Jiuxiang Dong
2024 J jnl
Proc. VLDB Endow.
Aaron Zou, Wei Lu, Zhibo Zhu, Xingyu Lu, Jun Zhou, Xiaojin Wang, Kangyu Liu, Kefan Wang, Renen Sun, Haiqing Wang
2024 J jnl
CoRR
Shunmei Dong, Qinglong Wang, Haiqing Wang, Qianqian Wang
2024 J jnl
IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. Syst.
Haiqing Wang, Jiuxiang Dong
2023 conf
DMBD (2)
Fang Wang, Ling Ye, Shaoqiu Zheng, Haiqing Wang, Chenyu Huang, Lingyun Lu
2023 J jnl
CoRR
Ding Zou, Wei Lu, Zhibo Zhu, Xingyu Lu, Jun Zhou, Xiaojin Wang, Kangyu Liu, Haiqing Wang, Kefan Wang, Renen Sun
2023 J jnl
Sensors
Baoxing Gu, Qin Liu, Yi Gao, Guangzhao Tian, Baohua Zhang, Haiqing Wang, He Li
2022 J jnl
Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf.
Hao Sun, Haiqing Wang, Ming Yang, Genserik Reniers
2022 J jnl
Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf.
Hao Sun, Ming Yang, Haiqing Wang
2022 J jnl
PLoS Comput. Biol.
Tomoki Yoneyama, Mi-Sook Kim, Konstantin Piatkov, Haiqing Wang, Andy Z. X. Zhu
2022 J jnl
Mob. Networks Appl.
Haiqing Wang
2022 J jnl
Ecol. Informatics
Haiqing Wang, Shuqi Shang, Dongwei Wang, Xiaoning He, Kai Feng, Hao Zhu, Chengpeng Li, Yuetao Wang
2020 J jnl
IEEE Access
Cheng Ma, Wei Shi, Chengang Dong, Lei Yang, Zhiquan Wang, Meilin Wu, Haiqing Wang, Chuanhui Zhong, Chaofan Li
2020 J jnl
IEEE Access
Xueqiang Shen, Haiqing Wang, Dezhen Zhang, Jian Li, Renshu Wang, Qingyu Su
2020 conf
ESEC/SIGSOFT FSE
Lin Shi, Mingyang Li, Mingzhe Xing, Yawen Wang, Qing Wang, Xinhua Peng, Weimin Liao, Guizhen Pi, Haiqing Wang
2019 J jnl
Inf. Sci.
Guijin Wang, Chenshuang Zhang, Yongpan Liu, Huazhong Yang, Dapeng Fu, Haiqing Wang, Ping Zhang
2019 J jnl
IEEE Access
Xueqiang Shen, Haiqing Wang, Jian Li, Qingyu Su, Lan Gao
2019 J jnl
Ann. Oper. Res.
Weiwei Zhu, Qian Zhang, Haiqing Wang
2019 J jnl
IEEE Access
Jiejunyi Liang, Haiqing Wang, Zhengfeng Yan
2019 J jnl
IEEE Access
Jianhua Zhong, Jun Zhang, Jiejunyi Liang, Haiqing Wang
2018 J jnl
IEICE Trans. Inf. Syst.
Dapeng Fu, Zhourui Xia, Pengfei Gao, Haiqing Wang, Jianping Lin, Li Sun
2018 conf
EMBC
Zhourui Xia, Guijin Wang, Dapeng Fu, Haiqing Wang, Ming Chen, Pengwei Xie, Huazhong Yang
2018 conf
QRS Companion
Haiqing Wang, Peng Sun
2015 conf
GRMSE
Haiqing Wang, Ling Chen, Wei Chen
2015 conf
WCSP
Haiqing Wang, Xiaohua Zhu
2013 J jnl
Integers
Haiqing Wang, Guodong Liu
2012 J jnl
J. Appl. Math.
Haiqing Wang, Yongfu Su, Hong Zhang
2010 J jnl
IEEE Trans. Signal Process.
Jindong Zhang, Haiqing Wang, Xiaohua Zhu
2009 conf
CIG
Haiqing Wang, Omar N. Malik, Alexander Nareyek
2009 conf
CDC
Diancai Yang, Yi Liu, Yugang Fan, Haiqing Wang
2008 conf
ISIP
Haiqing Wang, Xinchun Cui, Zaihui Cao
2008 conf
Edutainment
Xinchun Cui, Haiqing Wang, Zaihui Cao
2008 conf
WBL
Xinchun Cui, Haiqing Wang
2008 conf
CSSE (2)
Hao Wang, Haiqing Wang, Hefei Zhang
2006 conf
ICONIP (1)
Haiqing Wang, Ping Li, Zhi-Huan Song, Steven X. Ding
2006 conf
ICONIP (1)
Haiqing Wang, Daoying Pi, Ning Jiang, Steven X. Ding
2004 conf
CDC
Haiqing Wang, Hongliang Zhou, Bailin Hang
2004 conf
SMC (6)
Haiqing Wang, Ning Jiang, Diancai Yang
2004 conf
SMC (7)
Ning Jiang, Haiqing Wang, Diancai Yang
2004 conf
SMC (6)
Jianyong Yu, Shimin Yu, Haiqing Wang
2003 B conf
SMC
Kai Song, Haiqing Wang, Ping Li
2003 C conf
ACC
Yingchun Xie, Haiqing Wang, Yanchen Gao, Ping Li
2002 conf
CDC
Haiqing Wang, Ping Li, Zhongxue Yuan
2000 conf
CDC
Haiqing Wang, Zhi-Huan Song, Ping Li
2000 C conf
ACC
Haiqing Wang, Zhihuan Song, Ping Li
APK_CODE_ANALYSIS_PDD.md
← Index APK_CODE_ANALYSIS_PDD.md markdown
# APK Code Analysis — Product Design Document

**Author:** Engineering Team
**Date:** 2026-03-07
**Status:** Draft
**Target:** redb ingestor pipeline
**Depends on:** APK_FEATURES_PDD.md (APK static analysis extractors — implemented)

---

## 1. Overview

This document describes the design for adding **DEX code analysis** (decompilation, disassembly, call graphs, cross-references, and function similarity) to the redb ingestor pipeline. This is the Android equivalent of the Binary Ninja code analysis pipeline that exists for PE and ELF binaries.

### 1.1 Goals

- Decompile and disassemble APK DEX bytecode at the **method level**, producing per-method content and reference records analogous to the Binary Ninja `code_binja_*` tables
- Extract **call graphs and cross-references** (caller/callee relationships) for each method
- Compute **function similarity hashes** (SHA-256, ssdeep, TLSH, MinHash) for method-level clustering and hunting
- **Filter out library/framework code** to focus on user-written application logic — same philosophy as the `is_lib_or_thunk()` filter in Binary Ninja analysis
- Produce **decompiled Java source** (via JADX) and **smali disassembly** (via apktool) for each method, following the content/reference split pattern used by Binary Ninja tables
- Integrate with the existing APK extractor pipeline (runs after the Phase 1 APK extractors from `APK_FEATURES_PDD.md`)

### 1.2 Non-Goals

- **Native .so library analysis** — These are equivalent to external DLLs/shared libraries in PE/ELF. They are catalogued by `APKNativeLibExtractor` but not decompiled. If deep native analysis is needed, the existing ELF pipeline can be used on extracted `.so` files in a future phase.
- **Dynamic analysis / emulation** — Out of scope
- **Full APK repackaging / patching** — We use apktool for disassembly only, not rebuild
- **Inter-procedural data-flow analysis** (e.g., FlowDroid taint tracking) — Future consideration

### 1.3 Relationship to Existing Work

| Existing | New (this PDD) |
|----------|----------------|
| `APK_FEATURES_PDD.md` — APK metadata, manifest, permissions, certificates, DEX summary, resources, native libs | DEX **code-level** analysis: per-method decompilation, disassembly, call graphs, similarity hashes |
| `DecompileBinja` — PE/ELF code analysis via Binary Ninja | `DecompileAPK` — APK/DEX code analysis via androguard + JADX + apktool |
| `code_binja_*` ClickHouse tables | `code_apk_*` ClickHouse tables (same content/reference split pattern) |

---

## 2. Background

### 2.1 DEX Bytecode vs Native Code

| Aspect | PE/ELF (Binary Ninja) | APK/DEX (This PDD) |
|--------|----------------------|---------------------|
| Code format | Machine code (x86, ARM) | Dalvik bytecode (register-based VM) |
| Basic unit | Function (by address) | Method (by class + signature) |
| Disassembly | x86/ARM mnemonics | Smali (Dalvik assembly) |
| Decompilation | Pseudo-C (HLIL) | Java source code |
| Library filtering | `is_lib_or_thunk()` — symbol type | Package prefix filtering (e.g., `android.*`, `androidx.*`, `com.google.*`) |
| Similarity hashing | SHA-256 of normalized disassembly | SHA-256 of normalized smali |

### 2.2 Tool Selection

Three tools are combined to replicate the Binary Ninja analysis depth:

| Tool | Role | Integration | License |
|------|------|-------------|---------|
| **Androguard** (Python library) | Method enumeration, call graphs, cross-references, bytecode access, permissions analysis | Direct Python import — `from androguard.misc import AnalyzeAPK` | Apache 2.0 |
| **JADX** (Java CLI) | High-quality Java decompilation (equivalent to Binary Ninja HLIL) | subprocess (following CAPA/DIE pattern) | Apache 2.0 |
| **apktool** (Java CLI) | Smali disassembly with resource decoding (equivalent to Binary Ninja disassembly) | subprocess (following CAPA/DIE pattern) | Apache 2.0 |

**Why all three:**
- **Androguard** is the analysis engine — it provides call graphs, xrefs, and method enumeration natively in Python. However, its decompiler (DAD) produces lower-quality Java than JADX.
- **JADX** produces the best Java decompilation available. It is the industry standard for Android reverse engineering (47k+ GitHub stars).
- **apktool** produces canonical smali output with decoded resources. While androguard can access bytecode, apktool's smali output is the standard interchange format for Android RE.

### 2.3 Library Filtering Strategy

Native `.so` libraries are **not reverse-engineered** — they are equivalent to external DLLs in PE or shared libraries in ELF, and are already inventoried by `APKNativeLibExtractor`.

For DEX code, we filter out **framework/library packages** to focus on user-written code. This is the Android equivalent of `is_lib_or_thunk()` in the Binary Ninja pipeline.

**Default filter list** (configurable via environment variable `APK_LIBRARY_PREFIXES`):

```
android.*              # Android SDK
androidx.*             # AndroidX support libraries
com.google.android.*   # Google Play Services, Firebase
com.google.firebase.*  # Firebase
com.google.gson.*      # Gson JSON library
com.google.protobuf.*  # Protocol Buffers
kotlin.*               # Kotlin stdlib
kotlinx.*              # Kotlin extensions
org.apache.*           # Apache Commons
com.squareup.*         # OkHttp, Retrofit, Moshi
io.reactivex.*         # RxJava
org.reactivestreams.*  # Reactive Streams
com.facebook.*         # Facebook SDK
com.crashlytics.*      # Crashlytics
io.fabric.*            # Fabric
org.junit.*            # Test frameworks
org.mockito.*          # Test frameworks
```

Methods in filtered packages are still counted in call graph edges (caller/callee arrays) but their content is not stored in content tables. This mirrors how Binary Ninja records calls to library functions in `functions_caller`/`functions_call` arrays without decompiling the library functions themselves.

### 2.4 Packer Detection

Packer/protector detection for APKs uses **DetectItEasy (DIE)**, consistent with how packer detection works for PE/ELF/Mach-O in the existing pipeline. DIE already has signatures for common Android packers (Qihoo 360, Bangcle, Ijiami, Tencent Legu, Baidu, etc.).

The existing `DIEExtractor` runs as a format-agnostic extractor before format-specific analysis and requires no changes.

---

## 3. Architecture

### 3.1 Extractor Class Hierarchy

```
Extractor (redb/extractors/extractor.py)
└── DecompileAPK (NEW — redb/extractors/decompiler/DecompileAPK.py)
    ├── Uses: APKCodeAnalyzer (NEW — redb/extractors/decompiler/apk/analyzer.py)
    │   ├── AndroguardAnalysis — call graphs, xrefs, method enumeration
    │   ├── JADXDecompiler — Java decompilation (subprocess)
    │   └── ApktoolDisassembler — smali extraction (subprocess)
    └── Produces: multi_table ClickHouse export (same pattern as DecompileBinja)
```

**Design rationale:** `DecompileAPK` extends `Extractor` directly (not `APKExtractor`) because it follows the `DecompileBinja` pattern — a standalone extractor with its own analysis engine, rather than an APK metadata extractor that shares a parsed `APK` object. The APK parsing object from androguard is used internally but not shared with other extractors.

### 3.2 Analysis Pipeline Flow

```
APK file
  │
  ├─[1]─► apktool d <apk> ─► smali files on disk (temp dir)
  │
  ├─[2]─► jadx <apk> --no-res ─► Java source files on disk (temp dir)
  │
  └─[3]─► androguard AnalyzeAPK() ─► Analysis object (in-memory)
              │
              ├── Method enumeration ──► filter library packages
              │
              ├── For each user method:
              │     ├── Read smali from apktool output [1]
              │     ├── Read Java source from JADX output [2]
              │     ├── Get xrefs from Analysis object [3]
              │     ├── Compute content hashes (SHA-256 of smali, SHA-256 of Java)
              │     ├── Compute similarity hashes (ssdeep, TLSH of smali)
              │     └── Emit content + reference records
              │
              └── Call graph export ──► caller/callee arrays per method
```

Steps [1], [2], and [3] run in parallel (apktool and JADX as subprocess, androguard in-process). All three must complete before per-method analysis begins.

### 3.3 Content/Reference Split Pattern

Following the Binary Ninja schema pattern exactly:

- **Content tables** — Keyed by `function_hash` (SHA-256 of the method content). Deduplicated: if two APKs share identical method code, only one content record exists.
- **Reference tables** — Keyed by `(sha256, method_hash)`. Links a specific binary to its methods. Contains per-binary metadata (method name, class, address, callers, callees, fuzzy hashes).

This is the same pattern as `code_binja_decompiled_functions_content` / `code_binja_decompiled_functions_references`.

### 3.4 Method-Level Hashing

Hashing is computed at the **method level** for consistency with the Binary Ninja pipeline:

| Hash | Input | Purpose |
|------|-------|---------|
| `decompiled_method_hash` | SHA-256 of decompiled Java source (whitespace-normalized) | Content deduplication, exact match |
| `smali_method_hash` | SHA-256 of smali body (instructions only, no `.method`/`.end method` directives) | Content deduplication, exact match |
| `ssdeep_smali` | ssdeep of smali body | Fuzzy similarity search |
| `tlsh_smali` | TLSH of smali body | Fuzzy similarity search |
| `minhash_smali` | MinHash signature of smali instruction n-grams | LSH-based similarity clustering |

### 3.5 Obfuscation Indicators (per method)

Computed from the smali representation:

- `short_method_name` — Method name is <= 2 characters (a, b, c — typical R8/ProGuard output)
- `short_class_name` — Enclosing class has a single-letter name
- `has_string_encryption` — Method contains `const-string` followed by decryption-pattern calls
- `has_reflection_calls` — Method uses `java.lang.reflect.*` APIs
- `excessive_goto_count` — Number of `goto` instructions exceeds threshold (control flow flattening indicator)

---

## 4. Data Model

### 4.1 New Dataclasses

```python
@dataclass
class APKDecompiledMethodContent:
    """Decompiled Java source for a single method (content table — deduplicated by hash)."""
    decompiled_method_hash: str          # SHA-256 of normalized Java source
    decompiled_method: str               # Full Java method source
    method_type: str                     # "USER" or "LIBRARY"
    has_string_encryption: bool = False
    has_reflection_calls: bool = False
    excessive_goto_count: bool = False


@dataclass
class APKDecompiledMethodReference:
    """Links a specific APK to one of its decompiled methods (reference table)."""
    sha256: str                          # APK hash
    sha1: str
    md5: str
    decompiled_method_hash: str          # FK to content table
    smali_method_hash: Optional[str]     # FK to smali content table
    class_name: str                      # e.g., "com.example.MainActivity"
    method_name: str                     # e.g., "onCreate"
    method_signature: str                # e.g., "(Landroid/os/Bundle;)V"
    method_prototype: str                # e.g., "void onCreate(Bundle)"
    functions_caller: List[str]          # Methods that call this method
    functions_call: List[str]            # Methods called by this method


@dataclass
class APKSmaliMethodContent:
    """Smali disassembly for a single method (content table — deduplicated by hash)."""
    smali_method_hash: str               # SHA-256 of normalized smali body
    smali_method: str                    # Full smali method body
    method_type: str                     # "USER" or "LIBRARY"
    instructions_count: int = 0
    register_count: int = 0
    has_string_encryption: bool = False
    has_reflection_calls: bool = False
    excessive_goto_count: bool = False


@dataclass
class APKSmaliMethodReference:
    """Links a specific APK to one of its smali methods (reference table)."""
    sha256: str
    sha1: str
    md5: str
    smali_method_hash: str               # FK to content table
    decompiled_method_hash: Optional[str] # FK to decompiled content table
    class_name: str
    method_name: str
    method_signature: str
    ssdeep_smali: Optional[str] = None
    tlsh_smali: Optional[str] = None


@dataclass
class APKMethodSimilarityMetrics:
    """Similarity hashes for method-level clustering (keyed by smali hash)."""
    smali_method_hash: str
    cyclomatic_complexity: Optional[int] = None
    ssdeep_smali: Optional[str] = None
    tlsh_smali: Optional[str] = None
    minhash: Optional[List[int]] = None


@dataclass
class APKCodeAnalysisError:
    """Error encountered during method analysis."""
    sha256: str
    class_name: Optional[str] = None
    method_name: Optional[str] = None
    error_location: str = ""             # "jadx", "apktool", "androguard", "analysis"
    error_message: Optional[str] = None
    error_type: Optional[str] = None
```

### 4.2 Tag Enum Addition

```python
# In redb/extractors/enum.py
APK_DECOMPILED = "apk_decompiled"
```

### 4.3 ClickHouse Tables

| Table | Key | Pattern | Analog |
|-------|-----|---------|--------|
| `code_apk_decompiled_methods_content` | `decompiled_method_hash` | Content (deduplicated) | `code_binja_decompiled_functions_content` |
| `code_apk_decompiled_methods_references` | `(sha256, decompiled_method_hash)` | Reference (per-binary) | `code_binja_decompiled_functions_references` |
| `code_apk_smali_methods_content` | `smali_method_hash` | Content (deduplicated) | `code_binja_disassembled_functions_content` |
| `code_apk_smali_methods_references` | `(sha256, smali_method_hash)` | Reference (per-binary) | `code_binja_disassembled_functions_references` |
| `code_apk_method_similarity_metrics` | `smali_method_hash` | Similarity | `code_binja_function_similarity_metrics` |
| `code_apk_analysis_errors` | `(sha256, class_name, method_name)` | Errors | `function_analysis_errors_binja` |

All tables use `ReplacingMergeTree(analysis_date)` engine, consistent with existing schema.

---

## 5. External Tool Management

### 5.1 JADX

- **Invocation:** `jadx --no-res --no-imports --threads-count 2 --output-dir <tmpdir> <apk_path>`
- **Flags:**
  - `--no-res` — Skip resource decompilation (androguard handles resources)
  - `--no-imports` — Omit import statements for cleaner per-method extraction
  - `--threads-count 2` — Limit threads (same as Binary Ninja worker thread limit)
- **Output:** Java source files in `<tmpdir>/<package>/<Class>.java`
- **Timeout:** Configurable via `JADX_TIMEOUT` env var (default: 600s)
- **Path:** Configurable via `JADX_PATH` env var (default: `jadx`)
- **Error handling:** If JADX fails for a specific APK, the decompiled content tables are skipped but smali analysis continues. Error logged to `code_apk_analysis_errors`.

### 5.2 apktool

- **Invocation:** `apktool d --no-res --force --output <tmpdir> <apk_path>`
- **Flags:**
  - `--no-res` — Skip resource decoding (only want smali)
  - `--force` — Overwrite output directory if exists
- **Output:** Smali files in `<tmpdir>/smali/com/example/ClassName.smali` (one per class, containing all methods)
- **Timeout:** Configurable via `APKTOOL_TIMEOUT` env var (default: 600s)
- **Path:** Configurable via `APKTOOL_PATH` env var (default: `apktool`)
- **Error handling:** Same as JADX — if apktool fails, smali content tables are skipped but decompiled Java analysis continues. Error logged.

### 5.3 Androguard

- **Invocation:** Direct Python API — `AnalyzeAPK(filepath)` returns `(APK, list[DEX], Analysis)`
- **The `Analysis` object provides:**
  - `get_methods()` — All `MethodAnalysis` objects
  - `get_call_graph()` — networkx `MultiDiGraph` of method calls
  - `MethodAnalysis.get_xref_from()` — Who calls this method
  - `MethodAnalysis.get_xref_to()` — What this method calls
  - `MethodAnalysis.get_method()` — Access to `EncodedMethod` for bytecode
- **No timeout needed** — runs in-process, same Python process

---

## 6. Ingestor Integration

In `workers.py:process_binary_file()`, the APK branch will be extended to run `DecompileAPK` after the existing APK extractors:

```python
# Existing APK extractors (from APK_FEATURES_PDD.md)
for module in apk_modules:
    extractor = module(filepath, logger, exporters=exporters, ...)
    extractor.export_data()

# NEW: Code analysis (this PDD)
if "DecompileAPK" in selected_modules or "all" in selected_modules:
    decompiler = DecompileAPK(
        filepath, logger, exporters=exporters,
        index_prefix=index_prefix, filetype="apk",
    )
    decompiler.export_data()
```

The `DecompileAPK` extractor runs with its own timeout (configurable via `APK_DECOMPILE_TIMEOUT`, default: 1800s) using the same daemon-thread pattern as `DecompileBinja`.

---

## 7. New Dependencies

### 7.1 Required (system-level)

| Tool | Installation | Version | License | Purpose |
|------|-------------|---------|---------|---------|
| **JADX** | System package or download from GitHub releases | >= 1.5 | Apache 2.0 | Java decompilation |
| **apktool** | System package or download from GitHub releases | >= 2.9 | Apache 2.0 | Smali disassembly |
| **Java Runtime** | System package (`openjdk-17-jre` or similar) | >= 11 | GPL+CE | Required by JADX and apktool |

### 7.2 Required (Python — already installed)

| Library | Current Version | Usage in this PDD |
|---------|----------------|-------------------|
| `androguard` | >=4.1 | Call graphs, xrefs, method enumeration (already in requirements.txt) |
| `ppdeep` | installed | ssdeep fuzzy hashing (already used by Binary Ninja pipeline) |
| `py-tlsh` | installed | TLSH fuzzy hashing (already used by Binary Ninja pipeline) |
| `mmh3` | installed | MinHash computation (already used by Binary Ninja pipeline) |
| `networkx` | installed via androguard | Call graph representation (transitive dependency) |

### 7.3 No new Python dependencies required

All Python libraries needed are already in `requirements.txt`. The only new system-level dependencies are JADX, apktool, and a Java runtime.

---

## 8. Implementation Phases

### Phase 1 — Core Infrastructure

1. `APKCodeAnalyzer` class — androguard integration (method enumeration, call graph, xrefs, library filtering)
2. `JADXDecompiler` wrapper — subprocess management with timeout, output parsing
3. `ApktoolDisassembler` wrapper — subprocess management with timeout, smali parsing
4. Method-level content extraction and hashing logic
5. Unit tests for all Phase 1 components

### Phase 2 — Extractor and Data Export

6. `DecompileAPK` extractor class (following `DecompileBinja` pattern)
7. ClickHouse table creation functions
8. Multi-table export (`prepare_export_data`) for all 6 tables
9. Integration with `workers.py` dispatch
10. Unit tests for extractor, schema, and export
11. Update `TEST_INDEX.md`

### Phase 3 — Similarity and Obfuscation Analysis

12. Method-level similarity hash computation (ssdeep, TLSH, MinHash on smali)
13. Obfuscation indicator computation per method
14. `code_apk_method_similarity_metrics` table population
15. Unit tests for similarity and obfuscation
16. Update `TEST_INDEX.md`

### Phase 4 — Integration Testing and Hardening

17. End-to-end integration tests with real APK samples (benign + malicious + obfuscated)
18. Edge case handling: multi-DEX, empty DEX, packed APKs, APKs with no user code
19. Performance profiling and timeout tuning
20. Final `TEST_INDEX.md` update

---

## 9. Testing Strategy

### 9.1 Unit Tests

All unit tests mock external tools (JADX, apktool, androguard) and require no system dependencies:

- **Analyzer tests** — Method enumeration, library filtering, call graph extraction, xref parsing
- **JADX wrapper tests** — Subprocess invocation, output parsing, timeout handling, error recovery
- **Apktool wrapper tests** — Same as JADX
- **Hashing tests** — SHA-256 normalization, ssdeep/TLSH computation, MinHash signature generation
- **Extractor tests** — `DecompileAPK.extract()`, `prepare_export_data()`, multi-table schema validation
- **Smali parsing tests** — Method boundary detection, instruction extraction, register counting

### 9.2 Integration Tests

Require JADX, apktool, and Java installed:

- Full pipeline run on known APK samples
- Cross-validate decompiled output against known method signatures
- Verify ClickHouse export column counts and types
- Test with obfuscated APKs (ProGuard/R8 output)

### 9.3 Markers

```python
@pytest.mark.apk           # All APK tests
@pytest.mark.decompile      # All decompiler tests
@pytest.mark.unit           # No external deps
@pytest.mark.integration    # Requires JADX/apktool/Java
```

---

## 10. Configuration

All configuration via environment variables, consistent with existing extractors:

| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `JADX_PATH` | `jadx` | Path to JADX binary |
| `JADX_TIMEOUT` | `600` | JADX subprocess timeout (seconds) |
| `APKTOOL_PATH` | `apktool` | Path to apktool binary |
| `APKTOOL_TIMEOUT` | `600` | apktool subprocess timeout (seconds) |
| `APK_DECOMPILE_TIMEOUT` | `1800` | Overall decompilation timeout (seconds) |
| `APK_LIBRARY_PREFIXES` | (see §2.3) | Comma-separated package prefixes to filter |
| `APK_MIN_METHOD_INSTRUCTIONS` | `5` | Minimum smali instruction count to analyze a method |

---

## 11. Open Questions / Future Work

1. **ProGuard/R8 mapping file support** — If mapping files are bundled (rare in malware, common in crash reports), JADX can use them to restore original names. Deferred.
2. **Kotlin-specific analysis** — Kotlin metadata annotations could provide richer type information. Deferred.
3. **Cross-DEX analysis** — Multi-DEX APKs may have cross-DEX method calls. Androguard handles this via `AnalyzeAPK()` which loads all DEX files into a single `Analysis` object. No special handling needed.
4. **JADX as Java library via JPype** — Could eliminate subprocess overhead. Deferred in favor of the proven subprocess pattern, but may be revisited if performance is an issue.

---

## Appendix A — CFG Feature Parity with Binary Ninja Pipeline

**Date:** 2026-03-13
**Status:** Planned (Phase 5)
**Depends on:** Phases 13 complete

### A.1 Motivation

The Binary Ninja pipeline produces a dedicated `code_binja_cfg_functions` table with 17 fields capturing graph topology, structural hashes, and per-block feature vectors. The current APK pipeline computes only basic graph scalars (`block_count`, `edge_count`, `cyclomatic_complexity`, `loop_count`, `max_depth`, `max_fan_out`) and bundles them into the `code_apk_method_similarity_metrics` table alongside fuzzy hashes.

Analysis shows that **all advanced CFG features can be computed from smali** — this is not a limitation of Java bytecode. The existing APK infrastructure already:

- Builds `successors[]` adjacency lists from smali control flow (`smali_cfg.py`)
- Computes per-block ACFG feature vectors using the same 8-category schema as Binary Ninja (`smali_cfg.py:_build_block_features`)
- Normalizes Dalvik opcodes into semantic categories equivalent to LLIL categories (`smali_normalization.py`)

The generic functions in `cfg_features.py` (`compute_topology_hash`, `compute_md_index_topdown/bottomup`, `compute_wl_minhash`, `compute_cfg_feature_tlsh`, `pack_adjacency`) operate on adjacency lists and block feature arrays — they have no Binary Ninja dependency and can be called directly from the APK pipeline.

### A.2 Table Restructuring

Split the current single table into two, mirroring the Binja pattern:

#### `code_apk_method_similarity_metrics` (content-based fuzzy matching)

Retains only fuzzy hashes and instruction-sequence similarity data:

| Column | Type | Change |
|--------|------|--------|
| `smali_method_hash` | FixedString(64) | Unchanged |
| `cyclomatic_complexity` | Nullable(UInt16) | Stays (duplicated in both, same as Binja) |
| `ssdeep_smali` | Nullable(String) | Unchanged |
| `tlsh_smali` | Nullable(FixedString(72)) | Unchanged |
| `minhash` | Array(UInt8) | Unchanged |
| `analysis_date` | DateTime64(3, 'UTC') | Unchanged |

Removed from this table: `block_count`, `edge_count`, `loop_count`, `max_depth`, `max_fan_out` — these move to the CFG table.

#### `code_apk_cfg_methods` (NEW — structural/topological similarity)

Mirrors `code_binja_cfg_functions`:

| Column | Type | Source | Analog in Binja |
|--------|------|--------|-----------------|
| `smali_method_hash` | FixedString(64) | Existing | `disassembled_function_hash` |
| `cfg_topology_hash` | FixedString(16) | NEW — `cfg_features.compute_topology_hash()` | Same |
| `block_count` | UInt16 | Moved from similarity table | Same |
| `edge_count` | UInt16 | Moved from similarity table | Same |
| `instructions_count` | UInt32 | Existing (total Dalvik instructions) | `llil_total_operations` |
| `call_count` | UInt16 | NEW — count of `invoke-*` instructions | Same |
| `cyclomatic_complexity` | UInt16 | Moved from similarity table | Same |
| `loop_count` | UInt8 | Moved from similarity table | Same |
| `max_depth` | UInt16 | Moved from similarity table | Same |
| `max_fan_out` | UInt8 | Moved from similarity table | Same |
| `md_index_topdown` | UInt64 | NEW — `cfg_features.compute_md_index_topdown()` | Same |
| `md_index_bottomup` | UInt64 | NEW — `cfg_features.compute_md_index_bottomup()` | Same |
| `prime_product_smali` | UInt64 | NEW — Dalvik opcode → prime mapping | `prime_product_llil` |
| `cfg_feature_tlsh` | Nullable(FixedString(72)) | NEW — `cfg_features.compute_cfg_feature_tlsh()` | Same |
| `wl_minhash` | Array(UInt8) | NEW — `cfg_features.compute_wl_minhash()`, 128 elements | Same |
| `bb_features` | Array(Array(UInt16)) | Existing (computed, not exported) | Same |
| `cfg_adjacency` | Array(UInt32) | NEW — `cfg_features.pack_adjacency()` | Same |
| `analysis_date` | DateTime64(3, 'UTC') | | Same |

### A.3 Naming Differences from Binja

Two columns are intentionally renamed to reflect what the data actually represents:

- **`prime_product_smali`** (not `prime_product_llil`) — the prime mapping is applied to normalized Dalvik opcodes, not LLIL. Semantically equivalent for APK-to-APK comparison but not numerically comparable to Binja values.
- **`instructions_count`** (not `llil_total_operations`) — counts Dalvik instructions, not LLIL operations. LLIL decomposes machine instructions into sub-operations; Dalvik bytecode is already at a higher abstraction level where one instruction ≈ one operation.

### A.4 Implementation Requirements

| Task | Effort | Notes |
|------|--------|-------|
| Build `predecessors[]` from `successors[]` in `smali_cfg.py` | ~5 lines | Trivial reverse mapping |
| Define `SMALI_OP_PRIMES` mapping | ~30 lines | Map semantic categories from `smali_normalization.py` to same primes used in `cfg_features.py` |
| Wire `cfg_features.py` functions into `smali_cfg.py` | ~40 lines | Call `compute_topology_hash`, `compute_md_index_*`, `compute_wl_minhash`, `compute_cfg_feature_tlsh`, `pack_adjacency` |
| Export `bb_features` (already computed, not exported) | ~5 lines | Add to results dict |
| Count `invoke-*` instructions for `call_count` | ~5 lines | Filter in instruction loop |
| New `code_apk_cfg_methods` table export in `DecompileAPK.py` | ~60 lines | Follow existing export pattern |
| Slim down `code_apk_method_similarity_metrics` export | ~10 lines | Remove moved columns |
| ClickHouse schema for new table | ~30 lines | Mirror `code_binja_cfg_functions` |
| Unit tests | ~100 lines | Test new fields, reuse patterns from `test_cfg_features.py` |

**Total estimated: ~285 lines of code changes.**

### A.5 What Cannot Be Identical Cross-Platform

The `prime_product_smali` values are **not numerically comparable** to `prime_product_llil` from the Binja pipeline. LLIL decomposes native instructions into sub-operations (e.g., one x86 `push` becomes `STORE` + `SET_REG`), while Dalvik bytecode maps 1:1 to semantic categories. The prime products are valid for APK-vs-APK similarity and APK-vs-APK clustering, which is the intended use case.

All other fields (`cfg_topology_hash`, `md_index_*`, `wl_minhash`, `cfg_feature_tlsh`, `bb_features`, `cfg_adjacency`) are computed from the same generic algorithms and are structurally equivalent across platforms.