What is Mobile Application Security? | How To Done Mobile Application Penetration Testing?

The number of mobile application developers is increasing day by day, and in this case, new mobile applications are launched. According to a research report prepared by Gartner, marketed and experienced mobile applications cannot even pass the security tests, 75% of which are at the primary level.

The number of smartphone users, which has increased with technological developments, is expected to exceed 5 billion this year. Although smartphones often make our lives easier, they become a target for attackers. Attackers steal our data and sell or disclose this data in many areas. In this article, we will talk about the security risks for your mobile applications. Then we will talk about mobile application penetration testing, which is a critical point for mobile application security.

 

What Are The Riskiest Security Threats To Mobile Applications?

 

A mobile application must provide mobile application security in many areas to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system and data.

Almost all popular mobile platforms provide developers with many control options for mobile app security. But implementing these control options is at the developer's discretion. The absence of any application security review in the mobile applications that are completed and presented to the user experience increases the attackers' motivation, and the mobile application becomes an easy target to be exploited.

Common issues affecting mobile apps are:

• Storing or unintentionally leaking sensitive data so that other apps can reach on the user's phone.

• Using weak authentication and authorization controls that malicious applications or users can exploit.

• Using data encryption methods that are known to be vulnerable or easily cracked.

• Dealing with sensitive data on the Internet without encrypting data.

What is Mobile Application Penetration Testing?

 

With mobile application penetration testing, penetration testers test all aspects of the application from a malicious user perspective.

An effective mobile application penetration testing is based on understanding the purpose of the mobile application and the types of data used. Then, penetration testing is applied with static analysis, dynamic analysis, or combining those two analysis types.

With the increasing use of smartphones, mobile applications have changed the way we work and communicate. Mobile application penetration testing aims to protect against flaws or exploits that could cause your data to be compromised.

 

What is Static Analysis?

 

Static analysis is used for many years to analyze the source code without running the mobile application. Searching for spelling and grammatical errors in a text you have prepared is an example of a static analysis method.

With this method, the code structure is understood, and the code is tested whether it conforms to specific standards (such as OWASP). These standards determine not only code security but also code quality. In our opinion, quality is equally important because poor quality can cause security gaps in your mobile application.

What is Dynamic Analysis?

 

Dynamic analysis is often used as a last resort because of its complexity when other penetration testing techniques that focus on static analysis are insufficient. Dynamic analysis is widely used in cases such as disclosing sensitive data, theft of encryption keys, and manipulation of signature mechanisms.

Main Tools Used for Mobile Application Penetration Testing

 

Frida

It allows you to inject JavaScript code snippets into native applications on Windows, macOS, GNU / Linux, iOS, Android, and QNX. Frida also includes some simple tools built on top of the Frida API.

 

 Android Debug Bridge (ADB) 

ADB is a versatile command-line tool that allows you to communicate with an Android device.

 

Apktool

Apk Easy Tool is an application that allows you to manage APK files for the applications you are working on, to make the files in them readable by decompiling, compiling, and signing them.

 

 Android emulator

Android Emulator is a virtual android. Installed on operating systems, especially Windows, allow you to use a virtual device.

 

iOS simulator

It is a tool included in Xcode-IDE for iPhone or iPad application developers to test their programs. The developer can test the app on his computer without an iOS device.

 

Cydia

Cydia is the app store that helps download various apps and Tweak customizations to an iOS operating system whose security chain has been broken by Jailbreak.

 

Xposed Framework

Xposed is a framework to create many essential features and make changes on the device with the additional modules installed. In other words, you can customize your Android device, even if there is OEM software in the Android operating system, and you do not need to install a Custom ROM for this.

The Importance of Mobile Application Penetration Testing

It is crucial to reveal mobile applications' security vulnerabilities and identify possible risks to detect secure or insecure mobile applications. At Security For Everyone, we evaluate source code and test your mobile application for vulnerabilities using respected standards such as OWASP.

Since you test possible risks beforehand with the mobile application penetration testing, your corporate organization and your mobile application's reliability will have a good reputation.

 

What Does The Mobile Application Penetration Testing Bring To Your Company And Application?

 

The purpose of mobile application penetration testing is to identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations that could lead to unauthorized code execution, privilege enhancement, data leakage, information disclosure, and other security threats.

We test your mobile application by examining it in our test environment prepared from the attacker's perspective and on a physical device. By reviewing your mobile application's source code, we analyze the errors that will create security vulnerabilities, and then we look for solutions.

 

Mobile Application Penetration Testing Methodology

 

Whether it's an android-based or an iOS-based app, the mobile app penetration testing methodology includes similar underpinnings. Depending on the application's functionality, some test scenarios are created during the mobile penetration testing. In this process, it is equally important to examine devices to analyze application settings, configuration files, and residual data.

 

Discovery

This stage is essential to learn the mission of the target application and evaluate its functionality. This information is then used to accurately assess the effort and time required to test the mobile application.

 

Analysis

At this stage, the source code is analyzed. Source code analysis saves time in mapping the application and understanding functionality. Information such as databases, server-side information, authentication system, APIs, and used programming languages and their frameworks are determined at this stage.

 

Exploitation

This stage takes place while the mobile application is running and an actual world attack is simulated. Dynamic analysis, which we mentioned earlier, is used at this stage.

 

Reporting

All outputs are documented in the report in order of importance, with clear and brief recommendation instructions.

 

Conclusion

 

Some developers may lack the knowledge and expertise they need to test a mobile app thoroughly. With all the types of technology available to organizations in different industries, there are many areas and expertise that need to be addressed to perform penetration testing on mobile applications properly.

A practical penetration test in mobile applications configured as an intruder. Security For Everyone methodology is unique and effective since it does not rely on static techniques and assessment methods.

 

If you don't want to deal with all of this, we do it all and more for you. Contact us now.