How to Detect Hooking (Frida) on React Native

Protect your React Native app from runtime attacks like Frida and Xposed with smart detection.

Imagine your app’s security is a locked vault. What if an attacker could pick the lock and alter its contents while it’s actively being used? That is exactly what a hooking attack does.

This runtime threat is uniquely dangerous for React Native. Because React Native relies on a "Bridge" to communicate between JavaScript and Native code (Java/Obj-C), there are multiple points of entry for attackers to intercept data, manipulate logic, or extract API keys.

What is Hooking?

Hooking is a technique where attackers use tools like Frida to "intercept" and modify your app’s normal operations as they happen. Think of it like a spy intercepting a mail carrier, reading a sensitive message, and changing it before it is delivered to your server.

This gives attackers the power to:

• Bypass security: Disable jailbreak detection, biometric login, or SSL pinning.

• Steal Data: Read unencrypted strings from memory (like JWTs or API keys).

• Function Tampering: Force a function like isUserPremium() to always return true.

How common is hooking?

About 0.05% of devices are hooked. While this percentage seems low, at a global scale, it represents millions of compromised devices. If your app handles financial data, health records, or competitive gaming integrity, this is a risk vector you cannot ignore.

Number of Hooked Devices (source: Talsec)

Check out our live global stats at my.talsec.app

How to Detect Hooking?

You might be tempted to build your own defenses. In React Native, this is slightly more complex than in Node.js because the JavaScript runtime (Hermes or JavaScriptCore) does not have built-in access to low-level TCP sockets.

To implement a detection mechanism yourself, you need to step outside standard React Native capabilities.

DIY Coding Guide

In React Native, detecting hooking is harder than in frameworks like Flutter because the JavaScript environment (Hermes or JSC) does not have direct access to low-level sockets or the OS filesystem. You cannot simply "check a port" from your App.js without installing extra libraries or writing Native Modules.

However, if you were to implement a naive check yourself, you would typically write a Native Module to check for common Frida ports (like 27042)

// Android (Java) Example for a React Native Module
private boolean detectFridaPorts() {
    int[] portsToCheck = {27042, 27043};
    for (int port : portsToCheck) {
        try {
            Socket socket = new Socket("127.0.0.1", port);
            socket.close();
            // If connection succeeds, the port is open (suspicious)
            return true; 
        } catch (IOException e) {
            // Port is closed, which is good
        }
    }
    return false;
}

Why this fails

1. Attackers can run Frida on a random port.

2. Attackers can rename the Frida process.

3. Attackers can hook your "detection" function and force it to return false.

Use freeRASP (free library by Talsec)

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

• Process-name checks, suspicious open ports, injected or loaded Frida-related libraries, modified memory maps, abnormal function hooks and our secret sauce.

• Very strong detections including root and jailbreak detections (Magisk, Dopamine)

• Actively maintained

• Works offline with minimal performance overhead

• Comes with 14 extra detections like app integrity, root/jailbreak, emulators, debugging, screenshots, etc.

• Trusted by 6000+ apps worldwide

Integration Example

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

const actions = {
  hooks: () => {
    console.log('hooks');
  },
  // ...other callbacks...
}

const config = ...

useFreeRasp(config, actions);

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 alongside Talsec include Guardsquare, Appdome, Promon, Build38, Approov, and AppSealing.

Key Takeaway

Hooking attacks using tools like Frida can intercept and modify app behavior in real time, exposing sensitive data and disabling protections. Detection doesn’t have to be DIY or error-prone—simple port checks are easily bypassed. Tools like freeRASP provide reliable, continuously updated detection with hundreds of advanced checks, letting you respond proactively to runtime threats.

👉 If you want hooking detection plus root, jailbreak, emulator, debugging, screenshot, and tampering protection in one free package, start with freeRASP by Talsec.

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.

• Dynamic TLS Pinning - Prevents Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks by validating server certificates that can be updated remotely without needing to publish a new app version.

• Secret Vault - A secure storage solution that encrypts and obfuscates sensitive data (like API keys or tokens) to prevent them from being extracted during reverse engineering.