# Android Application Security: Architecture Decisions and the Limits of Protection

DevFeed: [Android Application Security: Architecture Decisions and the Limits of Protection](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/bang-bang-you-have-been-hacked-26132.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://proandroiddev.com/bang-bang-you-have-been-hacked-df82db3f2001?source=rss-8735065c2497------2>)

Author: Yonatan (Yoni) Levin

Published: 2018-01-03T13:29:33Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Stories by Yonatan V. Levin on Medium](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/stories-by-yonatan-v-levin-on-medium.md>)

Topics: [Android](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/android.md>), [Application Security](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/application-security.md>), [Security](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/security.md>), [Architecture & Design](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/architecture-design.md>)

Tags: [android](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/android.md>), [app](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/app.md>), [application-security](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/application-security.md>), [architecture](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/architecture.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [security](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/security.md>), [startup](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/startup.md>)

## AI overview

The author describes how an Android startup responded after its application was reverse-engineered, hacked, and distributed. The article shares architecture decisions for application security and argues that no Android application is completely unbreakable, so security requires ongoing teamwork across development and product roles.

## Source excerpt

Ah the sweet, enticing world of Android. My first true love, always beckoning me, whispering seductively in my ear: "I have more than 1 Billion active users" "My revenue opportunities are endless". I am not the first to be seduced by the heady romance that Android offers, nor will I be the last. I'm sure many of you reading this have had a whirlwind romance of your own. It tends to go a little something like this: You decide to build your own app. You plan it, design it, research extensively, establish a crack team of A players to build the first version with you. You even ask your mom for a loan. You know you're good for it because this all just feels so right. As the first version of your app comes out, your heart flutters wildly with every download. As more and more users integrate your app into their daily routine, you are in the full throes of the honeymoon period, head over heels in love with the magical world you created. Can life get any better than this? In love This is exactly what happened to me while working on one of my startups. We had an amazing application, with millions of users using our app on a daily basis. We invested a lot in our applications and had a million lines of code serving our customers. It was beautiful. We were in love. And then it hit us. Our app, in which we'd invested so many days, months, and years was brutally reversed engineered, hacked and distributed. We were left bruised, shocked and heartbroken as our honeymoon period evaporated into the harsh reality of the effort it takes to make it work long-term with your one true love. In this article I will share the architecture decisions we made in order to fight back against the brutal hackers who tried to take our true love away from us. Disclaimer: I'm not security expert. It's my journey, and I decided to share it. The first thing you need to understand when thinking about your application security: There is no such a thing as a bulletproof Android application. Everything is bre