What is Mobile Application Penetration Testing?
Why Conduct a Mobile App Pentest?
Validate your existing security controls
Our tests will test the effectiveness of your app’s existing security controls in preventing and detecting attacks. By simulating an attacker, our experts will identify gaps in your defenses and provide remediation measures to improve your ability to prevent cyberattacks.
Understand the potential impact of an attack on your Mobile App
Our tests will identify and measure vulnerabilities that could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, administrative features, or damage your reputation. By understanding exactly what could happen during an attack, organizations can prioritize their security efforts and allocate resources effectively.
Identify & fix all existing vulnerabilities
Our team will help you identify all existing vulnerabilities in your mobile application and its underlying hosting infrastructure, whether it’s cloud-based or in-house. The test will result in prioritized remediation steps to help reduce your overall risk exposure.
Improve your Mobile application's security
Our services will provide detailed information on how an attacker can breach your Mobile App, what data or critical systems they could target and how to protect them. With this information, our team will provide you with tailored recommendations to improve your application’s security posture and protect it against potential threats.
Comply with regulatory requirements
Many regulatory frameworks require mobile application penetration testing as part of their compliance requirements. Our tests will help your organization meet these requirements effortlessly, by providing an official attestation that your risks have been successfully mitigated following remediation testing.
Enhance your development practices
Gain a deeper understanding of development processes that might inadvertently introduce security risks, allowing you to develop more secure applications and features in the future.
When Should You Perform a Mobile Application Penetration Test?
- Annually, as part of a proactive security strategy
- After significant changes to the application or infrastructure
- When adding new, sensitive features or functionality
- Following a security incident or breach
- As part of a regulatory or compliance audit
- Prior to an M&A transaction or other major business event
- In response to new vulnerabilities identified in technologies used
Our Mobile Application Penetration Testing Services
Android Application
Penetration Testing
Test your Android app's security.
Security Code
Review
Dig deeper into your app's security.
Learn More →
iOS Application
Penetration Testing
Test your iOS app's security.
Common Cybersecurity Risks & Vulnerabilities Identified
Client-side injection vulnerabilities
Susceptibility to injection attacks, such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting, which can compromise data integrity and app functionality.
Weak authentication and authorization mechanisms
Inadequate user identification and access control processes, increasing the risk of unauthorized access and misuse of app features.
Improper session handling
Inefficient management of user sessions, potentially allowing session hijacking or unauthorized access to user accounts.
Insecure data storage
Weak protection of sensitive data, such as user credentials or personal information, stored within the app, making it vulnerable to unauthorized access.
Insufficient transport layer protection
Lack of proper encryption or security measures during data transmission between the app and backend servers, exposing data to potential interception.
Vulnerable third-party libraries and components
Use of untrusted or insecure third-party code, which can introduce security vulnerabilities into the application.
Our Mobile Application Security Testing Methodology
Static Testing
Config files analysis: URL disclosure, server credentials, cryptographic keys, hardcoded passwords, etc.
Reverse engineering: Reversing tools, device binding, impede comprehension, impede dynamic analysis and tampering, etc.
Dynamic Testing
Input Validation: Injection flaws, malicious input acceptance, buffer overflow, unrestricted file upload, business logic validation, improper error handling and disclosure, improper session management, log tampering, etc.
Server-side Testing
Web servers: Directory traversal, injection flaws, sensitive file exposure, web server misconfiguration exploitation, etc.
API/Web services: Authorization exploitation, IDOR, Injection flaws, API business logic bypass, API misconfigurations exploitaton, etc.
Why You Shouldn't Rely on Automated Scans
OWASP Mobile Top 10
Our vulnerability tests integrate the OWASP Mobile Top 10 standards to identify vulnerabilities unique to each application. Our tests are focused on the architecture, the hosting environment, the security measures in place and an evaluation of the best practices in application security.
- Insecure authentification
- Insecure authorization
- Code quality
- Improper platform usage
- Reverse engineering
- Insecure data storage
- Insecure communication
- Code tampering
- Insufficient cryptography
- Extraneous functionality
Need Help To Assess And Improve Your Cybersecurity?
Our Mobile App Penetration Testing Process
Project Scoping
Duration: ~ 1-2 days
Activities: We learn about your specific needs and objectives.
Outcome: Business proposal, signed contract.
Kick-off / Planning
Duration: ~ 1 hour
Activities: We review the scope of work, discuss requirements and planning.
Outcome: Scope validation, test planning.
Penetration Testing
Duration: ~ 2-3 weeks
Activities: We execute the test in accordance with the project scope.
Outcome: Detailed penetration test report, presentation.
Remediation Testing
Duration: Up to 1 month
Activities: We test and validate vulnerability fixes.
Outcome: Remediation report, attestation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Couldn’t find the information you were looking for? Ask an expert directly.
The purpose of conducting mobile application penetration testing is to identify and address security vulnerabilities in mobile apps. This helps protect sensitive data, intellectual property, and maintain compliance with industry regulations.
Mobile application penetration testing is conducted through a combination of automated scanning, manual testing, and threat modeling. The process includes analyzing app components, identifying potential vulnerabilities, simulating attacks, and providing remediation guidance and assistance.
To get started, you’ll need to create a test account or a staging environment, and round up any relevant documentation regarding the app. This ensures the testing team can perform a comprehensive assessment of the app’s security posture and identify potential vulnerabilities.
No, mobile application penetration testing is non-disruptive, as it focuses on analyzing the app’s security without impacting its functionality or disrupting users’ experience. Additionally, our team has various measures in place to minimize any potential impact of testing on the performance and availability of your application. In the wide majority of our projects, our clients cannot tell any testing is being done.
Depending on the features that are being tested and the desired goals, you may need to grant the testing team access to your mobile app, related documentation, and necessary credentials to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the app’s security. Any access requirement will be determined in a pre-launch call with your team.
Our external penetration tests helps several organizations of all types meet compliance requirements every year by identifying vulnerabilities that need remediation. Once remediation testing is completed, we provide an official attestation confirming that vulnerabilities have been remediated, helping organizations meet compliance requirements efficiently.
Mobile app penetration testing is an essential component of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy for any company relying on mission-critical applications for their daily operations. It helps organizations identify and fix important security risks in their mobile apps, protect sensitive data, and maintain compliance with industry regulations.
Both Android and iOS apps can be tested, including native, hybrid, and web-based apps.
The duration of a mobile app penetration test can vary depending on the complexity and size of the app. Typically, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.