Android Stack

Android stack names Linux kernel, HAL, ART, framework, and apps — map layers on YOUR $MOB_LAB emulator before static or dynamic work.

Android Stack• Audio Walkthrough

00:00/03:33

Visual · t27_android_stack

Android stack literacy. $MOB_LAB only. Original Cyberlium.

Every permission prompt and sandbox rule sits on a stack — literacy starts with layer names, not random hook scripts.

Android stacks from bottom: Linux kernel and drivers, Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), native libraries, Android Runtime (ART) with dex bytecode, Java/Kotlin framework APIs, and your app process in a sandboxed UID. Security boundaries — SELinux, permissions, Binder IPC — live between layers. Cyberlium maps the stack on YOUR $MOB_LAB AVD — note API level and whether Google Play services exist — never diagram a stranger's production handset without scope. Next: Components Named.

1. Stack layers (named)

Kernel: process isolation, networking, device nodes. HAL: vendor hardware interfaces. ART: runs dex/bytecode, JIT/AOT compilation. Framework: ActivityManager, PackageManager, ContentProviders. App: your APK process with its own UID and data directory.

On $MOB_LAB, sketch five layers with one security note each — no live stranger device required.

Command guide

Try these commands — Stack layers (named)

═══ LINUX / macOS (Terminal Practice) ═══

Check system state and user context

Command — copy this

id
whoami
uname -a

Inspect network sockets listening for connections

Command — copy this

ss -tuln 2>/dev/null || netstat -tuln

Audit active processes

Command — copy this

ps aux | grep -v "\[" | head -15

═══ WINDOWS (POWERSHELL) ═══ Query user identity and system information

Command — copy this

whoami /all
Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object CsName, OsName, OsVersion

Primary tools to practice this lesson: curl, python3. Reference sites: Android platform architecture (https://developer.android.com/guide/platform); Android security overview (https://source.android.com/docs/security/overview); OWASP MASTG Android (https://mas.owasp.org/MASTG/0x05a-Platform-Overview/). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.

2. Why stack literacy matters

Static analysis reads APK/dex; dynamic hooks attach at ART/native layers; network tools see transport above kernel. Misplacing a finding — 'kernel bug' vs 'app storage bug' — wastes remediation.

Defenders map controls to layers: SELinux at kernel, permissions at framework, pinning at app/network.

3. Lab boundary

Forbidden: claiming stack knowledge lets you test any device. Allowed: stack diagram card — five layers, one control per layer, $MOB_LAB API level.

Ship: Android stack card for YOUR emulator. Next: Components Named.

4. What you ship: Android stack card for $MOB_LAB

Five layers with one security note each. $MOB_LAB API level named. NO stranger devices. chmod 600.

5. What you record before the next lesson

Date. Stack card. $MOB_LAB named. File t27-m02-l01-android-stack.txt chmod 600.

6. Wrong vs right: stranger phones vs lab emulator apps

Worked failure — same MSF word, opposite target. Right never needs a café Wi-Fi or classmate laptop.

Wrong: Skip stack literacy and run random Frida scripts. Test stack on borrowed phone.
Right: Write Android stack card for YOUR $MOB_LAB emulator. Next: Components Named.

Hands-on Exercise