Mobile Application Penetration Testing

The first step in our process involves gathering critical information about the mobile application and its ecosystem. This phase lays the foundation for a successful penetration test by ensuring we understand the app’s architecture, workflows, and potential attack surface.

• Information Gathering: We collect details about the app, including its purpose, target audience, and integration with third-party services or APIs.
• Application Mapping: Using tools and manual techniques, we map out the app’s structure, including screens, functionality, and user flows, to ensure that we discover and test all areas within the app.
• APK/IPA Analysis: For Android apps, we decompile APK files to access the app’s source code structure. For iOS apps, we perform similar analysis on IPA files.
• Threat Modeling: We identify potential threats based on the app’s architecture and functionality, focusing on areas where sensitive data or critical operations are involved.

This phase involves dynamic testing techniques to uncover vulnerabilities in the app’s code and runtime behavior. When in scope, it may also include static testing techniques.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

• Test the app while it is running to observe its behavior in real-time.
• Monitor how data is transmitted between the app and backend servers.
• Identify vulnerabilities like insecure session management or improper input validation.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

• Look for hardcoded credentials, API keys, sensitive data exposure, or improper error handling.
• Evaluate compliance with secure coding standards such as OWASP Mobile Top 10 and MASVS (Mobile Application Security Verification Standard).
• Analyze the app’s provided source code or decompiled code, when in scope, for insecure coding practices.

Raxis evaluates how the app interacts with its underlying operating system (iOS or Android). This includes testing whether the app can detect if it is running on a jailbroken iOS device or a rooted Android device, as well as assessing whether sensitive functionality can be accessed on compromised devices. We analyze how sensitive data—such as passwords or tokens—is stored on the device, checking for unencrypted files or improper use of storage mechanisms like SharedPreferences (Android) or NSUserDefaults (iOS). Additionally, we test for platform-specific vulnerabilities such as improper use of Keychain (iOS) or Keystore (Android) and ensure that permissions requested by the app are not excessive or unnecessary.

This involves evaluating RESTful APIs or GraphQL endpoints for common vulnerabilities such as broken authentication, insecure direct object references (IDOR), or SQL injection. We also assess how sessions are created, maintained, and terminated to identify issues like session fixation or weak session token generation. Additionally, we analyze data transmitted between the app and server to ensure encryption protocols like HTTPS/TLS are properly implemented to prevent man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.

Raxis will attempt to exploit identified vulnerabilities in a controlled environment to demonstrate their real-world impact. By simulating attacks such as credential theft, privilege escalation, or data exfiltration, we help prioritize remediation efforts based on risk severity. This phase also includes an impact assessment to quantify potential damage caused by each vulnerability in terms of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. We provide insights into how attackers could chain multiple vulnerabilities together for more significant exploitation.

Finally, in Reporting and Retesting, we deliver actionable results and verify that remediations have been successfully implemented. Our detailed report includes an executive summary highlighting key findings and their business impact, technical details of each vulnerability with proof-of-concept exploits, and clear remediation steps tailored to your development team’s needs. We also offer guidance during the remediation process to ensure vulnerabilities are effectively addressed. Once fixes are applied, we conduct follow-up testing to verify that all issues have been resolved without introducing new risks.