Using the Java Native Interface (JNI) to defeat Java decompilation

- [Instructor] When developing Android apps,…we can not only code in Java but also drop down a level…and use native routines written in C or C++,…typically where high performance is required…or where platform-specific features need to be accessed.…Native code routines are supported by Android Studio…which allows developers to call them…through the Java Native Interface, or JNI…and compiles the native code routines…into a separate .so module, which is linked…with the standard app by-code.…

The key security feature of native apps…is that they don't get decompiled as Java code…and an attacker looking to determine their function…has to resort to assembly-level, reverse engineering…in order to analyze them.…This increases the cost of attack substantially.…Let's take a look at how we build an Android app…that has native code routines.…The first thing we do at the Android Studio…startup screen is to tick the C/C++ support box…and open a new project.…Let's call it: Native.…

I'll select…Tools,…Android,…SDK Manager…and I'll select SDK Tools.…