| name | conducting-mobile-app-penetration-test |
| description | Conducts penetration testing of iOS and Android mobile applications following the OWASP Mobile Application Security Testing Guide (MASTG) to identify vulnerabilities in data storage, network communication, authentication, cryptography, and platform-specific security controls. The tester performs static analysis of application binaries, dynamic analysis at runtime, and API security testing to evaluate the complete mobile attack surface. Activates for requests involving mobile app pentest, iOS security assessment, Android security testing, or OWASP MASTG assessment.
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| domain | cybersecurity |
| subdomain | penetration-testing |
| tags | ["mobile-pentest","OWASP-MASTG","Android-security","iOS-security","mobile-application-security"] |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| author | mahipal |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
Conducting Mobile App Penetration Test
When to Use
- Testing mobile applications before release to identify security vulnerabilities and data protection issues
- Conducting compliance assessments against OWASP MASVS (Mobile Application Security Verification Standard) levels L1 and L2
- Evaluating the security of mobile banking, healthcare, or government applications handling sensitive data
- Testing mobile apps that interact with backend APIs to assess the end-to-end security of the mobile ecosystem
- Assessing mobile application resistance to reverse engineering, tampering, and runtime manipulation
Do not use against mobile applications without written authorization from the application owner, for distributing modified or repackaged applications, or for testing apps on the public app stores without a separate test build.
Prerequisites
- Target application IPA (iOS) and APK (Android) files or access to download from a private distribution channel
- Rooted Android device or emulator (Genymotion, Android Studio AVD) with Frida, Objection, and Magisk installed
- Jailbroken iOS device or Corellium virtual device with Frida, Objection, and SSL Kill Switch installed
- Static analysis tools: jadx (Android decompilation), Hopper/Ghidra (iOS binary analysis), MobSF (automated scanning)
- Burp Suite Professional configured as proxy for intercepting mobile app traffic with CA certificate installed on the test device
Workflow
Step 1: Static Analysis
Analyze the application binary without executing it:
Android Static Analysis:
- Decompile the APK:
jadx -d output/ target.apk to obtain Java/Kotlin source code
- Review
AndroidManifest.xml for exported components (activities, services, receivers, content providers), permissions, and debuggable flag
- Search for hardcoded secrets:
grep -rn "api_key\|password\|secret\|token\|aws_" output/
- Identify insecure data storage patterns: SharedPreferences with sensitive data, SQLite databases without encryption, files in external storage
- Check for WebView vulnerabilities:
setJavaScriptEnabled(true), addJavascriptInterface(), and loading untrusted content
- Run MobSF automated scan:
python manage.py runserver and upload the APK for automated static analysis
iOS Static Analysis:
- Extract the IPA and locate the Mach-O binary
- Use
otool -L <binary> to list linked frameworks and identify third-party libraries
