System-on-chip (SoC) and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)-based apparatus for detecting malicious code in portable terminal is provided. Apparatus includes SoC including hardware-based firewall packet-filtering packet received from outside through media access control unit according to setting of firewall setting unit in SoC memory and storing filtered packet in application memory or transferring filtered packet to anti-malware engine, hardware-based anti-malware engine detecting malicious code by performing pattern-matching operation between code pattern in file transferred from firewall or file received through input/output (I/O) interface unit and pattern of malicious code registered in malware signature database (DB) of mobile device application unit, SoC memory providing setting of firewall and support file decoding function for file format recognition of anti-malware engine, and hardware-based controller controlling switching operation to transfer file filtered by firewall directly to application memory or to anti-malware engine and control malicious code detection cycle of anti-malware engine.