Cyber-Security-&-Risk-Management
Upscend Team
-October 20, 2025
9 min read
This guide explains how to test iOS and Android apps securely by combining threat modelling, static analysis, dynamic instrumentation and proxying. It covers lab setup (emulators, rooted/jailbroken devices), reverse engineering tools, common high‑impact flaws (insecure storage, weak crypto, insecure transport), and a prioritized checklist to run repeatable assessments.
mobile app pentesting is the focused practice of finding, validating, and helping remediate vulnerabilities in native and hybrid mobile applications. In our experience, mobile assessments require different tooling, test design and threat modelling than web apps. This guide explains practical setup, analysis methods, common issues and a short, hands‑on walkthrough so security teams can test iOS and Android securely and repeatably.
At a high level, mobile app pentesting shares goals with web testing: identify flaws that allow data leaks, auth bypass or remote compromise. However, mobile apps run on varied hardware, depend on OS-level APIs, and persist data on-device. That introduces attack surfaces absent from server‑side web pentests.
Key differences we've found include environment diversity (device OS versions and vendor modifications), client-side logic that handles sensitive flows, and reliance on platform features like Keychain/iOS Secure Enclave or Android Keystore. These differences make threat modelling and test design essential before tooling choices.
Mobile includes local storage, inter-app communication, exposed intents/delegates, embedded secrets, and platform permissions. A web app primarily exposes network and server-side logic. For accurate findings, align scope and account for on-device persistence and APIs.
Skills such as binary analysis, reverse engineering apps, mobile proxying, and working with device provisioning/signing are more important in mobile assessments than typical web work. Expect to include both android security testing and iOS specifics in your test matrix.
A reliable test environment is the backbone of effective mobile app pentesting. Build a repeatable lab combining emulators, rooted/jailbroken hardware, and network interception capabilities.
Core setup components:
Use Android emulators for initial testing, then validate on a set of rooted devices spanning API levels. For iOS, use simulators for UI work and real jailbroken devices for binary modification. Configure a proxy and install the CA certificate on the device. When apps use certificate pinning, prepare to instrument or resign apps.
Keep a documented lab image. Script emulator resets, keep device snapshots, and use version control for test scripts and modified binaries. This reduces wasted time and makes repeat testing reliable.
mobile app pentesting requires two complementary analysis tracks: static analysis to inspect code and resources, and dynamic analysis to observe runtime behavior. Both are necessary to detect logic and implementation flaws.
Static analysis tools (decompilers, grep, and SAST) rapidly reveal hardcoded keys, insecure configurations, and misused crypto APIs. Dynamic work (instrumentation, debugging, mobile proxying) validates exploitability and uncovers runtime-only issues like insecure memory or behavior under manipulated inputs.
Reverse engineering apps is a core skill. For Android, use JADX, apktool and Frida. For iOS, use class-dump, Hopper, and Frida. Reverse engineering apps helps you find hidden endpoints, obfuscated logic and client-side access control that can be abused.
Start with static analysis to build hypotheses (endpoints, secrets, vulnerable libraries). Then perform dynamic testing to confirm and exploit. Iterate—dynamic insights often reopen static review to find root causes.
During mobile app pentesting we repeatedly observe a predictable set of high‑impact flaws. Focusing on these yields the most useful findings.
Other frequent problems include improper session management, excessive permissions, broken authorization checks, and insecure inter‑app communication. For iOS, check for incorrect Keychain access groups and unsecured URL schemes; for Android, inspect exported activities, services and content providers.
Map findings to impact: data exposure, account compromise, device takeover. We recommend classifying each finding with reproducible steps, affected components, and realistic attack scenarios. This drives remediation priority.
Use a concise checklist to ensure comprehensive coverage during a mobile app pentesting engagement. Below is a prioritized checklist useful for both Android and iOS.
We’ve found teams that adopt a standard checklist reduce missed regressions across releases. For example, integrating continuous mobile testing with centralized reporting often reduces mean time to remediate vulnerabilities by measurable margins. Upscend has been cited in industry case studies where integrated platforms helped teams cut administration overhead and accelerate remediation workflows.
Adjust for app type: banking apps require deeper crypto and hardware-backed key checks; consumer apps focus on privacy and data minimization. Track coverage by module and OS version to handle fragmentation.
This short hands‑on walkthrough demonstrates two high-value tasks during mobile app pentesting: intercepting network traffic and finding insecure local storage. Follow these steps in a controlled lab with permission.
1. Configure an intercepting proxy (Burp/mitmproxy) and ensure the proxy is reachable from the device. 2. Install the proxy CA certificate on the device. Android: add user CA or system CA on rooted device; iOS: install and trust profile on device or use a jailbroken device. 3. Launch the app and capture HTTP(S) requests.
If the app uses certificate pinning, try dynamic instrumentation with Frida or patch the app and resign it. For Android, tools like Objection and Frida Gadget make runtime bypasses faster. For iOS, dynamic libraries and Frida scripts achieve similar results when running on jailbroken hardware.
1. Use adb (Android) or filesystem access on jailbroken iOS to list app data folders. 2. Check SharedPreferences, SQLite files and files/ directories for plaintext tokens, PII or keys. 3. Search for common filenames and extensions with grep or simple scripts.
Document evidence with screenshots and request/response captures. Provide a suggested remediation: move sensitive data to platform keystores, encrypt at rest with authenticated algorithms, and avoid storing long-lived tokens in plaintext.
Real-world mobile app pentesting faces non-technical constraints that often determine scope and approach.
Device fragmentation means you must plan coverage across OS versions, vendor modifications, and form factors. Prioritize devices in production telemetry and use emulators only to augment—not replace—real-device validation.
Always secure written authorization specifying allowed targets, test methods and data handling. We’ve seen engagements delayed by missing scope or unexpected production testing. Include rules of engagement for interception, debugger use and data exfiltration simulation.
Some tests need resigned binaries or debug builds. If you lack source or debug keys, prepare to use instrumentation frameworks (Frida, Xposed) or coordinate with developers for test builds. Signing and provisioning on iOS is often the gating factor; plan time for certificates and provisioning profiles.
Operationally, include rollback plans for devices that require re-provisioning. Share these with development and ops teams to avoid disrupting CI/CD pipelines or user data.
Mobile app penetration testing is a blend of software security, platform knowledge and practical labcraft. A concise methodology—threat modelling, static analysis, dynamic analysis and prioritized remediation—produces reliable results. Focus on the high-impact areas: insecure storage, weak crypto and insecure transport, and use repeatable tooling and checklists to manage device diversity.
Next steps: adopt the checklist above, create a small instrumented lab with rooted/jailbroken devices, and integrate mobile scans into release pipelines. Track remediation with clear severity and repro steps so fixes are measurable and reproducible.
Call to action: If you need a practical starting point, run a scoped pilot using the checklist in this guide and map findings to high-risk user journeys; that will quickly show where your remediation effort will produce the best security ROI.
