1 Phase 1: Understand Android (Weeks 1–2)

Before you can attack Android, you need to understand how it works. Skip this phase and you will be memorizing attack patterns without understanding why they work.

Key concepts to learn:

• Android architecture — Dalvik/ART runtime, Binder IPC, the application sandbox, and how processes are isolated
• APK structure — What is inside an APK: AndroidManifest.xml, classes.dex, native libraries (.so), resources
• Android permissions model — Dangerous vs normal permissions, how apps request and hold permissions, and what permissions an attacker would target
• ADB (Android Debug Bridge) — Your primary interface with Android devices and emulators

How to practice: Set up an Android emulator (Android Studio AVD or Genymotion) and spend time exploring: install apps, dump APKs, inspect running processes with adb shell ps, browse the filesystem.

# Essential ADB commands to internalize
adb devices                         # List connected devices
adb shell                           # Open interactive shell
adb pull /data/app/com.example.app/ # Pull installed APK
adb logcat | grep -i "error\|crash" # Watch real-time logs
adb install target.apk              # Install an APK

Free resource: Mobile Hacking Lab’s free Android security course covers Android architecture in depth with hands-on labs.

2 Phase 2: Static and Dynamic Analysis (Weeks 3–5)

This is where Android security becomes hands-on. You will learn to reverse engineer apps and analyze their behavior at runtime.

Static analysis — reading code without running it:

• JADX — Decompiles APKs back to readable Java. This is your primary static analysis tool.
• apktool — Decodes APKs into smali bytecode, resource files, and the manifest. Use this when JADX misses something.
• MobSF (Mobile Security Framework) — Automated static scanning. Good for getting an initial overview of a new target.

Dynamic analysis — watching apps run:

• Frida — The most powerful dynamic instrumentation tool for mobile. You inject JavaScript hooks into running app processes to intercept function calls, modify behavior, and bypass security controls. See our full beginner guide for getting started.
• Burp Suite — Intercept and modify HTTP/HTTPS traffic between the app and its server. Most apps use TLS, so you will also need to learn certificate pinning bypass.
• Objection — A Frida-based toolkit that automates common tasks: SSL pinning bypass, root detection bypass, activity enumeration.

# Install Frida server on device
adb push frida-server /data/local/tmp/
adb shell chmod +x /data/local/tmp/frida-server
adb shell /data/local/tmp/frida-server &

# List running processes
frida-ps -U

# Hook a function
frida -U -n "com.target.app" -e "
Java.perform(function() {
    var MainActivity = Java.use('com.target.app.MainActivity');
    MainActivity.isRooted.implementation = function() {
        return false;
    };
});
"

3 Phase 3: Vulnerability Classes (Weeks 6–10)

Now you have the tools. This phase is about developing a systematic understanding of how Android apps get exploited.

Start with the OWASP Mobile Top 10.** It maps the most common vulnerability categories in real apps: