Mobile Application Penetration Testing
Evaluate the security of your IOS or Android application with a Mobile Application Penetration Testing
Mobile Application Penetration Testing best services in UK
Our team of expert penetration testers combines automated and manual testing techniques to evaluate the security of iOS and Android apps. We follow the OWASP Mobile Security Guide and eWPT methodologies, as well as our own proprietary methods, to thoroughly assess both the mobile app itself and the APIs that manage the data communication with the app.
Mobile apps are often the primary way that customers interact with businesses, offering various services or connecting users. Therefore, it is essential to test the security of these apps, particularly if they handle sensitive information or handle high amounts of traffic. With the rapid development of mobile apps, it is easy for best practices to be overlooked and security to be compromised. Hackers are even utilizing automated attacks to access data at scale, making it important for apps to be protected against these types of campaigns.
Penetration testing, also known as ethical hacking or a pen test, involves simulating a cyber attack on computer systems using a variety of technologies to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in servers, endpoints, web applications, wireless networks, network devices, mobile devices, and other potential points of exposure.
Mobile Application Penetration Testing – What do we test for?
The mobile app pen testing methodology can be thought of as having major stages as given below.
Discovery and planning
- In the discovery stage, the testers will gather information about the app and the objectives of the testing to create threat models. The type of app (native or hybrid), its network interfaces, user data stored by the app, etc. need to be considered in this stage. It is an important stage for deciding on the testing roadmap.
Assessment
- The first step is to look for basic vulnerabilities in the mobile app such as insecure communication, encryption vulnerabilities, platform misuse, etc. The mobile app is analysed before and after installation using assessment techniques such as:
- Static and Dynamic analysis
- Local file analysis
- Endpoint analysis
- API analysis
- Web server and traffic analysis
Exploitation
- In this stage, mobile app penetration is attempted. Depending on the methodology being used, in this stage, the testers will use manual and automated testing tools to reveal the vulnerabilities in the mobile app.
There are several pen testing security checks and frameworks tools available in the market. Security teams can help you setup the right scope.
- The OWASP Mobile Security Testing Guide (MSTG) provides mobile application security analysts with a reference guide for mobile pen testing.
- The manual details Android and iOS mobile application security testing based on MASVS.
- OWASP Mobile Security Checklist ties together the MASVS and the MSTG.
OWASP Mobile Security Checklist offers several enhancements.
- Architecture, Design and Threat Modelling
- Data Storage and Privacy
- Cryptography
- Authentication and Session Management
- Network Communication
- Environmental Interaction
- Code Quality and Build Setting
- Authentication and session implementation
- Static analysis of the application binary
- Jailbreak detection
- Broken access control
- SSL pinning countermeasure
- Testing the APIs for injection
- Resiliency Against Reverse Engineering
Mobile App Pen Testing Benefits
Benefits of using penetration testing for mobile applications
There are several benefits of using penetration testing for mobile applications, including:
Improved security: Penetration testing helps identify and address potential vulnerabilities in your mobile app, which can reduce the risk of security breaches.
Enhanced user experience: By ensuring that your mobile app is secure, you can provide a better user experience for your customers.
Compliance with regulations: Many industries have strict security requirements that must be met. Penetration testing can help you ensure that your mobile app meets these requirements.
Increased market credibility: By demonstrating that you take security seriously and have undergone penetration testing, you can improve your market credibility and attract more customers.
Cost savings: By identifying and fixing vulnerabilities before they are exploited, you can save money on potential damage control or recovery efforts.
Improved development process: Penetration testing can help you identify areas for improvement in your development process, allowing you to create more secure and reliable mobile apps in the future.
Mobile application penetration testing
Mobile application penetration testing is a comprehensive and adaptable strategy for identifying vulnerabilities in mobile apps. By selecting the appropriate type of penetration testing method, you can ensure that your mobile apps are secure and meet your security objectives with maximum efficiency and coverage. It is not a matter of deciding which method is superior, but rather which approach will best serve your security needs.
Mobile Apps Security Testing & Instant Online Reporting
Our web application security testing process is designed to thoroughly examine the entire attack surface of your web application in a systematic way. We start with API and app mapping and analysis, then move on to attack vector discovery, and finally vulnerability identification and exploitation. This approach allows us to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in order to provide you with the necessary information to reduce your security risk.
In order to thoroughly test your application, we take both an unauthenticated and end user perspective, and use dynamic security testing with multiple user levels to gain greater visibility and coverage. This approach gives us access to a wide range of functionality that may contain various vulnerabilities, including those that could expose sensitive information.
Our web app penetration testing service is provided through our Informer platform, which allows you to begin remedying vulnerabilities as soon as they are identified. You can also connect Informer to Jira for automatic ticket creation, making it easy for your developers to fix issues without needing to access Informer.
After the test, we provide a summary of the results, as well as detailed information on each vulnerability found, including a description, evidence of location and parameters affected, screenshots, remedial action and recommendations, and references for further information. If you prefer, you can also download a PDF penetration testing report in various formats at any time during or after the test.
How can we Help?
At Cyber Legion, we understand the importance of protecting and enhancing your assets. That’s why we offer a continuous cycle of penetration testing and remediation through our Secure Client Portal.
Our team has extensive experience in application security, mobile app security, and network penetration testing. We use well-known security frameworks and tailor our testing methodologies to minimize disruption and keep you informed throughout the process.
We strive to provide comprehensive security testing that clearly identifies any issues and work closely with our clients to achieve the best possible results.
FAQ’s
What is penetration testing?
Penetration tests (or pen tests) are attacks on your companies’ software and hardware systems, carried out by ‘ethical hackers’ to expose your system’s vulnerabilities. One example is a web application pen test. Web apps, browsers and plug-ins can house sensitive financial or personal data, so hackers are increasingly putting their efforts towards gaining access to them. The test would examine the endpoint of every web application.
With Cyber Legion services you can achieve all your security goals in one platform. Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Management combined in one unified view. Live events for all penetration testing findings and vulnerability management results with bug tracking, Risk dashboards, Ticketing systems etc.
Penetration Testing Service Features | Supported |
Unlimited Cyber Legion CSaaS Platform access | √ |
Black, Grey or White Box Testing | √ |
Scheduled Security testing service – Work Request Button whenever you want | √ |
Manual & Automated Security Testing & Risk Validation | √ |
Business Logic & Technical Vulnerability Testing | √ |
Detailed Exploitation Evidence | √ |
Security Frameworks Checklists OWASP, SANS etc | √ |
OSINT & Threat Intelligence | √ |
Custom Checklists | √ |
Full Support & References for Remediation | √ |
Collaboration & Integration with ticketing, bug trackers etc | √ |
Unlimited Analysis, Tracking & Reporting | √ |
Live Events & Alerting emails | √ |
Retesting of discovered issues – unlimited | √ |
On-Demand and Custom Offering that Best Suits your Organization’s needs. | √ |
What is mobile application penetration testing?
Mobile penetration testing is the technique of simulating an attack on a mobile application in order to verify its security. A tester will get the app files and perform a series of tests that the application is secure. Static analysis of the code is frequently included in these tests to guarantee that there are no security vulnerabilities. Testing of the back end hosting provider, such as Firebase, is also included, ensuring that hackers are unable to read or write to parts of the database that they should not be able to.
Do you cover security testing for iOS and Android mobile applications?
Looking for a reliable and effective way to test the security of your mobile app? Look no further than Cyber Legion’s penetration testing services. Our team of experts utilizes a combination of SAST, DAST, and manual testing to thoroughly assess the security of Android and iOS apps. All you have to do is upload your app and let us take care of the rest. With our smart, simple, and elegant solution, you can trust that your app’s security posture will be thoroughly analyzed and validated.
Do you reverse engineer the application code?
By reverse engineering the application, we can analyze its development process and search for any hardcoded sensitive information such as API keys and credentials. This allows us to identify potential security vulnerabilities and protect against potential threats.
What is the OWASP mobile Framework?
Because mobile applications are not the same as web applications, evaluating them requires a completely new approach. OWASP-MASVS was created primarily to help penetration testers discover mobile application security vulnerabilities. This can comprise a variety of strategies aimed at protecting mobile apps against various forms of threats.
How long does a penetration testing take?
The time that penetration testing takes depends on the size and complexity of your organization’s system structure, as well as the scope of the test itself. For the ‘average’ company, a network penetration test should take around three days. For a merchant processing millions of credit cards a year, for example, a pen test will take over a week, or possibly two.
What are the benefits of Mobile Apps penetration testing?
Fixing these vulnerabilities will help you improve your information security defenses for not just your business but your staff, clients, customers, and partners.
- Identify weaknesses
- Prevent attacks
- Protect sensitive data
- Protect reputation
- Avoid fines and ransom costs
Any application that stores or collects users’ personal information is beholden to GDPR and as such are required to get a penetration test. GDPR mandates that you monitor the efficiency of your security controls on a regular basis and review applications and essential infrastructure for security vulnerabilities.
Because mobile applications are so common and frequently gather various types of user data, such as addresses and credit card numbers, it is critical that this data is not vulnerable to hackers and cannot be stolen in the event of a data breach. A mobile penetration test can help eliminate this risk and verify that the app is safe.
How much does a pen test cost?
The penetration testing cost depends on the facts identified during scoping, such as the agreed time, goals, technical resources, approach, and remedial support.
Discover, Analyze, Prioritize, Track, Visualize & Report
