Mobile Application Penetration Testing
Comprehensive offensive security testing for iOS and Android applications
What this engagement covers
The service
Mobile applications live in hostile, client-side execution environments where attackers have physical access to the device, memory, and binary. Our mobile application penetration testing combines deep binary reverse engineering, dynamic instrumentation with Frida and Objection, SSL pinning bypass, and backend API exploitation to identify vulnerabilities before attackers exploit your users.
What we test
We test iOS (IPA) and Android (APK/AAB) applications across all layers: binary reverse engineering, hardcoded secrets, weak cryptographic implementations, insecure local data storage (Keychain/Keystore, SQLite, SharedPreferences), runtime memory manipulation, IPC/Intent vulnerabilities, deep link hijacking, biometric authentication bypasses, SSL/TLS transport security, and OWASP API Top 10 vulnerabilities in backend microservices.
Scoping & Assessment Depth
Static Binary Analysis & Reverse Engineering
SAST / BinaryDecompiling APK/IPA packages to identify hardcoded API secrets, unencrypted SQLite databases, weak cryptography algorithms, debug symbols, and insecure IPC components.
Dynamic Runtime Instrumentation (Frida / DAST)
InteractiveHooking application functions in real-time on jailbroken/rooted devices to bypass biometric gates, neutralize root detection, defeat SSL pinning, and alter in-memory variables.
Backend API & Traffic Interception
Full-StackIntercepting HTTPS/WebSocket communications using proxy tooling (Burp Suite) to uncover Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA), parameter tampering, and API logic flaws.
Attack Surface & Vulnerability Vectors
Insecure Local Storage & Keychain/Keystore Abuse
Extracting plaintext credentials, session tokens, and PII from shared preferences, world-readable SQLite databases, and improperly ACL'd hardware keystores.
SSL Pinning Bypass & Traffic Interception
Defeating custom certificate pinning implementations (OkHttp, TrustKit, NetworkSecurityConfig) to intercept, replay, and tamper with encrypted client-server API payloads.
Runtime Tampering & Method Hooking
Utilizing Frida and Objection to modify runtime execution flow, disable client-side premium paywalls, bypass authentication logic, and inject malicious memory hooks.
Insecure IPC & Deep Link Hijacking
Exploiting exported Android activities, broadcast receivers, content providers, and iOS URL schemes to trigger unauthorized state changes or steal OAuth tokens.
Biometric & Local Auth Bypass
Attacking local authentication checks (LocalAuthentication framework / BiometricPrompt) where successful biometric evaluation is not cryptographically bound to server authentication.
Hardcoded Secrets & API Key Exposure
Extracting hardcoded AWS/GCP credentials, third-party API private keys, and encryption seeds from decompiled DEX/Mach-O binaries and asset files.
How we run it
Operating on both rooted/jailbroken hardware and clean physical devices, we perform static decompilation (Ghidra, jadx, class-dump) alongside dynamic runtime hooking using Frida. We bypass client-side integrity checks, root/jailbreak detection, and certificate pinning to inspect and tamper with all network traffic and runtime state, delivering reproducible PoCs and developer-ready fixes.
Binary Decompilation & Static Code Audit
Unpacking APK/IPA packages, inspecting manifest/plist permissions, decompiling bytecode (jadx/Ghidra), and scanning for embedded secrets and vulnerable third-party SDKs.
Environment & Anti-Tamper Evasion
Bypassing root/jailbreak detection, emulator detection, integrity verification (Play Integrity / DeviceCheck), and certificate pinning via custom Frida scripts.
Dynamic Runtime Manipulation & Hooking
Interactively testing method invocations, inspecting memory dumps for leaked secrets, and modifying application state to bypass business logic and authorization gates.
Network & Backend API Interrogation
Routing traffic through Burp Suite to test all mobile endpoints against OWASP API Top 10 vulnerabilities: BOLA, mass assignment, and unauthenticated endpoints.
Data Storage & Inter-Process Communication Audit
Analyzing device filesystem, cache folders, keyboards caches, screenshot leaks, and exported Android components for unauthenticated data leakage.
Remediation Roadmap, Retest & App Store Guidance
Providing native code fixes for Swift/Kotlin/cross-platform frameworks, compliance crosswalk for MASVS, and verifying retests before production app store release.
What you receive
Findings land in your tracker as you go, not only in a PDF at the end. Retest is in scope, not a change order.
- Comprehensive iOS & Android Technical Assessment Report
- OWASP MASVS (Mobile Application Security Verification Standard) Crosswalk
- Dynamic Runtime Instrumentation & Frida Hooking Proofs
- Insecure Local Storage & Cryptographic Vulnerability Audit
- Certificate Pinning & Network Traffic Interception Analysis
- Backend API Security & Authorization Testing Findings
- Platform-Specific Remediation Code Samples (Swift / Kotlin / React Native / Flutter)
- Developer Remediation Walkthrough & Free Retest Verification
What we usually find
The issues this engagement surfaces most often. Yours will differ, but this is the shape of it.
Who this is for
Auditor-Ready Compliance Crosswalk
| Framework | Control Section | Testing Evidence & Report Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| OWASP MASVS / MSTG | MASVS-STORAGE, CRYPTO, AUTH, NETWORK, RESILIENCE | Authoritative verification against the industry gold standard for iOS and Android mobile security architecture. |
| PCI DSS v4.0 | Requirement 6.5 & 11.4 | Technical penetration testing evidence for mobile applications handling payment card transactions, tokenization, or merchant data. |
| HIPAA Security Rule | 45 CFR § 164.312 (Technical Safeguards) | Validating that electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) cached on mobile endpoints or in transit is encrypted and access-controlled. |
| SOC 2 Type II | CC6.1, CC6.6, CC7.1 | Verifying boundary protection, mobile authentication protocols, and endpoint security for enterprise SOC 2 audit readiness. |
Findings are mapped to OWASP Mobile Top 10, OWASP MASVS, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, so the report drops into an audit package rather than needing to be translated first. If you need the readiness work behind one of those, that is a separate engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers on scoping, methodology, compliance validation, and deliverables.
Yes. In fact, pre-release testing is ideal. We test debug or ad-hoc builds distributed via TestFlight, Firebase App Distribution, or direct APK/IPA/AAB binaries. This allows your team to fix critical security flaws before the app reaches public end users.
We test on physical iOS and Android hardware across multiple OS versions, including rooted and jailbroken devices equipped with dynamic instrumentation toolkits (Frida/Objection), as well as pristine, non-rooted hardware to verify real-world behavior and anti-tamper controls.
We use custom Frida hooks and runtime instrumentation to dynamically patch the mobile application's certificate validation callbacks in memory. This allows our proxies (Burp Suite) to inspect and tamper with encrypted traffic without triggering network connection errors.
Yes. A mobile app is only as secure as the backend APIs it communicates with. We test all endpoints invoked by the mobile client for Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA/IDOR), parameter tampering, broken function-level auth, and unauthenticated administrative microservices.
Yes. We frequently test apps built with React Native, Flutter, Xamarin/.NET MAUI, and Cordova, as well as native Swift, Objective-C, Kotlin, and Java applications. We use specialized tooling to decompile Flutter engine snapshots and React Native JS bundles.
Scope it in one call
Tell us what is in scope and we come back with a fixed price and a start date. No discovery-call maze, no hourly estimate that moves.
