How to Detect Emulator in Kotlin

Fake users, fraudsters, and reverse engineers love emulators. Here’s how to stop them.

Emulators are powerful tools for developers, but in the wrong hands they become a major security risk. Fraudsters use them to automate fake traffic, bypass device checks, and even reverse-engineer apps. Luckily, you can detect emulator environments in Kotlin and block them before damage is done.

What is Emulator?

An emulator is a software-based environment that mimics a real Android device. While legitimate for app testing, attackers exploit emulators for:

• Click fraud – simulating thousands of devices to inflate ad revenue.

• Credential stuffing – running automated scripts against login systems.

• App tampering – analyzing and modifying your app in a safe, sandboxed space.

Emulators pretends to be a real device, but it’s just software running on a PC. Detecting it crucial for protecting your app’s integrity.

More about emulators and their usage in gaming:

Emulators in Gaming: Threats and Detections

Introducing Multi-Instancing Detection for freeRASP

How to Detect Emulator Usage?

Detecting emulator environments is tricky because attackers constantly adapt.

Basic checks for emulators include looking at:

• Device HW statistics: device model, CPU info, screen size/resolution

• Suspicious system files

• Suspicious processes

However, these are not enough thought, since they are easy to bypass. Instead, rely on specialised, continuously updated SDKs.

These can provide:

• Newly updated detection techniques and emulator detectors

• Deeper check of device

• Nice API for end developer to interact with, rather than reinventing a wheel

DIY Coding Guide

You can implement yourself like this:

import android.os.Build

object EmulatorDetector {

    fun isEmulator(): Boolean {
        return (Build.BRAND.startsWith("generic") && Build.DEVICE.startsWith("generic"))
                || Build.FINGERPRINT.startsWith("generic")
                || Build.FINGERPRINT.startsWith("unknown")
                || Build.HARDWARE.contains("goldfish")
                || Build.HARDWARE.contains("ranchu")
                || Build.MODEL.contains("google_sdk")
                || Build.MODEL.contains("Emulator")
                || Build.MODEL.contains("Android SDK built for x86")
                || Build.MANUFACTURER.contains("Genymotion")
                || Build.PRODUCT.contains("sdk_google")
                || Build.PRODUCT.contains("google_sdk")
                || Build.PRODUCT.contains("sdk")
                || Build.PRODUCT.contains("sdk_x86")
                || Build.PRODUCT.contains("vbox86p")
                || Build.PRODUCT.contains("emulator")
                || Build.PRODUCT.contains("simulator")
    }
}

Use freeRASP (free library by Talsec)

With freeRASP, the emulator detection utilizes hundreds of advanced checks, offering robust detection even with bypass scripts applied.

• Strong emulator detections

• Actively maintained (changelog)

• Comes with 14 extra detections like app integrity, Frida and hooking, root/jailbreak detection, debugging, screenshots, etc.

• Used by 6000+ apps; #1 Mobile RASP SDK by popularity (link)

Integration Example

Add the freeRASP in your project, focus on implementing the following callback:

Talsec.start(applicationContext)

override fun onEmulatorDetected() {
    Log.w("freeRASP", "Emulator detected!")
    // Optionally block sensitive actions or warn the user
}

Commercial Alternatives

When evaluating mobile app security and Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP), developers often compare various Talsec alternatives to find the right fit for their architecture. The "right choice" depends on the specific problem you need to tackle and which vendor offers the best bang for your buck.

The market is diverse, offering different philosophical approaches to protection. Talsec prioritizes top-tier root detection and a balanced security SDK portfolio covering the most popular attack vectors. Meanwhile, some vendors specialize primarily in heavy code obfuscation and compiler-based hardening, while others focus on a drag-and-drop (no-code) integration experience for DevOps-oriented teams. There are also solutions dedicated specifically to API security, active cloud hardening, enterprise compliance, or gaming protection. The most prominent providers include Guardsquare, Appdome, Promon, Build38, Approov, and AppSealing.

Handle App Security with a Single Solution! Check Out Talsec's Premium Offer & Plan Comparison!

Plans Comparison

https://www.talsec.app/plans-comparison

Premium Products:

• RASP+ - An advanced security SDK that actively shields your app from reverse engineering, tampering, rooting/jailbreaking, and runtime attacks like hooking or debugging.

• AppiCrypt (Android & iOS) & AppiCrypt for Web - A backend defense system that verifies the integrity of the calling app and device to block bots, scripts, and unauthorized clients from accessing your API.

• Malware Detection - Scans the user's device for known malicious packages, suspicious "clones," and risky permissions to prevent fraud and data theft.

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