Walls Have Ears: Demystifying Notification Listener Usage in Android Apps
The Notification Listener Service (NLS) in Android allows third-party apps to monitor and process device notifications, enabling powerful features but also introducing security and privacy risks. Despite the special permission required to access NLS, it has been recurrently exploited by malicious actors. However, there is a lack of systematic investigation into NLS usage patterns and their security implications. In this paper, we propose NLRadar, a hybrid approach combining static analysis and LLM to examine NLS usage in Android apps. We apply NLRadar to a large scale of apps, including both malware and regular apps, to demystify NLS usage and to uncover abuses. Our analysis reveals that NLS is heavily abused, with interesting discoveries such as apps insecurely storing social media messages, exploiting NLS for destructive competition or SMS credential stealing, and leveraging NLS to spread promotional messages or even malicious links. We also find undisclosed changes in NLS usage through app updates and inadequate disclosure in privacy policies. Our findings emphasize the need for more rigorous vetting of NLS usage and better developer education on responsible NLS practices.
Thu 26 JunDisplayed time zone: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna change
11:00 - 12:15 | Bugs and Repository MiningResearch Papers at Cosmos 3B Chair(s): Shiyi Wei University of Texas at Dallas | ||
11:00 25mTalk | LLM4SZZ: Enhancing SZZ Algorithm with Context-Enhanced Assessment on Large Language Models Research Papers Lingxiao Tang Zhejiang University, Jiakun Liu Singapore Management University, Zhongxin Liu Zhejiang University, Xiaohu Yang Zhejiang University, Lingfeng Bao Zhejiang University DOI | ||
11:25 25mTalk | Walls Have Ears: Demystifying Notification Listener Usage in Android Apps Research Papers Jiapeng Deng Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Tianming Liu Monash Univerisity, Yanjie Zhao Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Chao Wang University of Science and Technology of China, Lin Zhang The National Computer Emergency Response Team/Coordination Center of China (CNCERT/CC), Haoyu Wang Huazhong University of Science and Technology DOI | ||
11:50 25mTalk | An Investigation on Numerical Bugs in GPU Programs Towards Automated Bug Detection Research Papers Ravishka Shemal Rathnasuriya The University of Texas - Dallas, Nidhi Majoju University of Texas at Dallas, Zihe Song University of Texas at Dallas, Wei Yang UT Dallas DOI |
Cosmos 3B is the second room in the Cosmos 3 wing.
When facing the main Cosmos Hall, access to the Cosmos 3 wing is on the left, close to the stairs. The area is accessed through a large door with the number “3”, which will stay open during the event.