There are several types of mobile applications such as Native apps, Mobile web apps, and Hybrid apps. Also, there are several platforms such as Android, iOS, and others. This makes the range and variety of threats to these applications extremely widespread. Mobile Application Pen Testing is a comprehensive methodology to map all these threats by scanning the vulnerabilities within the app. Not only for the security vulnerabilities but mobile pen testing also comes in handy to detect functional loopholes as well.
of mobile app users are under misapprehension that their applications are secure from malicious activities.
of two million applications on Google Play Store include at least one security flaw.
plus of android mobile device users still have installed android versions more than two years old.
is the percentage of iOS users who install the latest security updates even after a month of release.
Mobile Penetration Testing includes the following key steps:
Gathering the required information is an essential process before any penetration testing. Similarly, you need to keep the following things in mind during the preparation and discovery phase of mobile pen testing:
When the discovery phase is completed, the tester begins a detailed examination and assessment of the application. This phase includes observation of the application both before and after the installation. The following are the key assessment techniques:
It is the phase in which the application is checked against simulated attack vectors to check how it will behave when under a real attack. The mobile applications under test are exposed to malicious payloads and the response is noted to determine the resilience of the application functionalities to malicious activities.
After the exploitation of the application, the entire process is documented along with the key findings. The attacks performed, types of malicious payloads used, damages, risk analysis, and vulnerabilities uncovered, everything features in this report. This helps in taking respective steps further to remediate the issues.
The following five are the pointers you need to keep an eye on while Mobile pen testing:
Mobile pen testing has the prime purpose of uncovering security risks. Key 5 mobile app security risks are as follows: