Android Security Cookbook

Decompiling DEX files

DEX files, or Dalvik Executable files, are the Android equivalent of Java's CLASS files. They include the compiled format of the Java code that defines an Android application's behavior, and as an Android security specialist to be, you would naturally be interested in knowing how these files work and what exactly they are for. Decompiling the DEX files is an essential part of the security assessments for many applications; they provide a good source of information on the behavior of an Android application and can often glean details of an application's development that a pure source code perspective cannot. A good understanding of the DEX file format and how to interpret it may lead to the identification of new vulnerabilities ...