Android Mobile Device Hardening
A Python tool for automating Android device security hardening, malware detection, and privacy protection via ADB.
What is Android Mobile Device Hardening?
AMDH is a Python tool that automates security hardening and malware detection for Android devices via ADB. It scans system settings, analyzes installed applications for dangerous permissions and known malware, and helps enforce privacy and security configurations. The tool generates detailed reports and supports snapshot comparisons to monitor device state changes over time.
Security researchers, IT administrators, and privacy-conscious Android users who need to audit and harden mobile devices. It's particularly useful for those managing multiple devices in enterprise or testing environments.
Developers choose AMDH for its automation capabilities, comprehensive scanning features, and open-source transparency. It provides a CLI alternative to manual ADB commands, integrating CIS benchmarks, malware detection, and detailed reporting into a single tool.
Overview
Android Mobile Device Hardening
Use Cases
Best For
- Automating CIS benchmark compliance checks on Android devices
- Detecting known malware in installed applications via static analysis
- Auditing and revoking dangerous permissions from Android apps
- Creating and comparing snapshots of device state for security monitoring
- Managing security settings across multiple Android devices simultaneously
- Hardening Android privacy settings and disabling unnecessary features
Not Ideal For
- Environments requiring cloud-based or remote device management without local ADB access
- Users needing complete device restoration including contacts from snapshots
- Teams that prefer GUI-based security tools over command-line interfaces
- Projects targeting Android versions beyond 10, as testing is limited to older versions
Pros & Cons
Pros
Automates security checks based on CIS benchmarks for Android, hardening system settings according to documented guidelines without manual intervention.
Performs static analysis to detect known malware like ActionSpy and WolfRat by comparing permissions and scanning for malicious native functions using androguard and pwntools.
Captures detailed device state including apps, settings, contacts, and SMS in JSON format, enabling easy comparison over time for security monitoring.
Supports managing multiple connected Android devices simultaneously via threading, streamlining security audits for administrators handling several devices.
Cons
Snapshot restore does not support contacts, limiting its utility for full device recovery, as acknowledged in the README's feature list with contacts marked as not implemented.
Only detects a few specific malware families (e.g., ActionSpy, WolfRat, Anubis), leaving devices vulnerable to newer or unknown threats not in its database.
Relies heavily on ADB, which can cause problems such as failed SMS backups or permission revocation issues on some devices, as noted in the known issues section.
Frequently Asked Questions
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