Mobile Application Penetration Testing
Expert-led, manual mobile application penetration testing, for iOS, Android, and the APIs that power them.
Mobile applications handle some of your most sensitive data, credentials, payment details, personal information, and direct access to back-end systems. Our CREST-accredited consultants test them the way a real attacker would: manually, across both the client application and its supporting infrastructure, going well beyond what any automated tool can surface.
Mobile Application Test Overview
What Is A Mobile Application Penetration Test?
A mobile application penetration test is a structured, expert-led security assessment of your iOS or Android application, examining the app itself, the APIs it communicates with, and the data it stores and transmits. Our consultants reverse engineer, intercept, and manipulate your application under real-world attack conditions to identify vulnerabilities that automated scanners consistently miss.
Mobile apps present a unique attack surface. Unlike web applications, they run on devices your organisation doesn’t control, communicate with APIs under varying network conditions, and can store sensitive data locally. A thorough manual assessment is a reliable way to understand your exposure.
Mobile Platforms & Technologies
What Platforms & Technologies Do We Test?
We test across the full range of mobile platforms and underlying technologies:
iOS
Native Swift and Objective-C applications on iPhone and iPad
Android
Native Java and Kotlin applications across the Android ecosystem
Cross-Platform
React Native, Flutter, Xamarin, Cordova, and other hybrid frameworks
APIs / Back-End Services
REST, GraphQL, & custom API architectures mobile apps depend on
Mobile Application Test Coverage
What Our Mobile Application Testing Covers
Authentication & Session Management
> Login mechanisms, token handling, biometric authentication implementation
> Session fixation, token expiry, and insecure credential storage
> Account enumeration and brute force exposure via API endpoints
Data Storage & Privacy
> Sensitive data stored insecurely on device, databases, shared preferences, logs, and caches
> Clipboard exposure, screenshot leakage, and keyboard caching of sensitive input
> Improper use of platform storage mechanisms on iOS and Android
Network Communication
> TLS configuration, certificate validation, and SSL pinning implementation
> Interception of API traffic to identify insecure data transmission
> Identification of sensitive data exposed in API requests and responses
Application Reverse Engineering
> Static analysis of application binaries to identify hardcoded credentials, API keys, and sensitive logic
> Dynamic analysis and runtime manipulation using specialist mobile tooling
> Assessment of obfuscation and anti-tampering controls
Business Logic & Authorisation
> Testing for broken object-level authorisation (BOLA/IDOR) across all API endpoints
> Workflow abuse, privilege escalation, and unintended state transitions
> Trust boundary testing between user roles and back-end services
OWASP Top 10
> Full manual coverage of the industry-standard mobile application risk benchmark
>Testing aligned to the latest OWASP methodology & attacker techniques
> Findings mapped to OWASP classifications for compliance and audit reporting
Need OWASP MASVS-Aligned Reporting?
Our mobile application penetration tests can be delivered against the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS). Whether you need MASVS-L1, L2, or R coverage, we'll scope and report against the standard in a format your team can act on.
Mobile Application Test Approach
How We Approach Mobile App Testing
Our Test Process
Putting Your Mobile App To The Test
Every mobile app penetration test goes through a rigorous process to ensure you get the best possible results. Below we outline the key stages our testing goes through:.
Understand Your Requirements
We begin every engagement by understanding your application, its architecture, and what a successful test looks like for you. We'll work with you to identify which platforms, user roles, and functionality should be prioritised, before putting forward a bespoke proposal tailored to your needs.
Manual, Expert-Led Testing
We use industry-standard mobile testing tooling to support our work, but every finding is the result of manual investigation, not automated output. This means higher quality findings, greater depth of coverage, and results your development team can act on with confidence.
Reporting Tailored To Your Organisation
Our reports are written for real audiences, not generated by a tool and handed over as-is. Technical findings are written with full exploitation detail and clear remediation guidance for your development team. Executive summaries give leadership and compliance stakeholders the overview they need.
Post-Test Remediation Support
Our consultants remain available to answer questions, assist with remediation prioritisation, and can provide fix checks to verify that vulnerabilities have been successfully resolved. Where compliance evidence is required, we can provide additional documentation to support audit requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mobile Application Penetration Testing for Security-Mature Teams
If you’re already testing your mobile applications regularly, you’re likely evaluating providers on depth and approach rather than the basics of what a mobile penetration test involves. The questions below cover how we handle native and cross-platform apps, the backend APIs they depend on, testing environments, and reporting, built around the needs of teams testing on an ongoing cycle rather than a single annual assessment. If you don’t see your question answered here, get in touch and we’ll walk you through it directly.
Do you test both iOS and Android, and does the methodology differ between them?
Yes, both platforms are covered, and the methodology adapts to each. iOS and Android have different security models, storage mechanisms, and common misconfiguration patterns, so testing accounts for platform-specific issues (like Keychain misuse on iOS or insecure intent handling on Android) rather than applying a single generic checklist to both.
Can you test and report against OWASP MASVS specifically, not just OWASP Mobile Top 10 coverage?
Yes. We can scope and deliver against the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard at L1, L2, or R level, depending on your assurance requirements, with findings mapped to the standard's controls rather than a generic checklist. This is worth specifying at scoping if you need MASVS-aligned evidence for a client, partner, or compliance requirement.
Do you use physical devices or emulators for mobile testing, and does that affect the depth of the assessment?
We use Corellium, a virtualised device platform that runs genuine iOS and Android firmware rather than a generic software emulator, giving us access to jailbroken and rooted environments across a wide range of device and OS version combinations on demand. This means testing isn't limited by which physical devices happen to be available in-house, and we can test against specific OS versions relevant to your user base without waiting on physical device procurement. Where a finding requires validation on physical hardware, we can also test on physical devices as part of the engagement.
How do you assess apps that use biometric authentication (Face ID, fingerprint), is implementation tested, or just enablement?
The implementation is what actually matters, so that's the focus. Enabling biometrics is straightforward; testing whether it's implemented securely is where the real risk sits, we assess whether biometric authentication is backed by the platform's secure hardware (like the Secure Enclave on iOS or a Trusted Execution Environment on Android) rather than a client-side check that could be bypassed, whether fallback mechanisms (PIN, pattern) introduce a weaker path around biometric protection, and whether sensitive operations are properly gated behind re-authentication rather than a one-time check at app launch.
Do you test the backend APIs the app talks to, or just the app itself?
Both, where in scope. Mobile apps are frequently only as secure as the APIs behind them, issues like broken object-level authorisation or excessive data exposure on the backend are common and often more impactful than client-side findings. We recommend including backend API testing in scope rather than assessing the client in isolation, since a mobile app can look secure on device while the backend it depends on isn't.
How do you scope testing for an app with a large number of user roles or complex business logic, like in-app purchases or subscriptions?
Role-based and business logic testing, such as authorisation boundaries between user tiers, or subscription/entitlement bypass, is scoped based on your app's specific functionality. We recommend flagging complex role structures or premium-feature logic at scoping so testing time is weighted toward the areas most likely to have business-logic flaws, rather than generic checklist coverage.
How do you handle testing apps that use certificate pinning or other anti-tampering controls?
We test these controls as part of our security assessment, rather than just bypassing them. First, we evaluate whether your certificate pinning and anti-tampering measures effectively resist realistic bypass techniques. To thoroughly test the underlying application logic and APIs, we will then work with you during scoping to establish an agreed method, such as using a custom test build or specific bypass tools, to safely intercept traffic.
What does the mobile app testing report include?
Findings are platform-specific where relevant, so an iOS-only issue isn't presented the same way as one affecting both platforms, alongside a risk rating, evidence, and remediation guidance for each. The report also distinguishes client-side findings from backend/API findings, so your mobile and backend teams can each see what's relevant to them without digging through the full report.
Contact Us
Find Out More About Our Mobile Application Penetration Testing
Ready to put your mobile application security to the test? Our team are on hand to provide you with the information you need. Please fill out the form below and one of our team will be in touch shortly to discuss your requirements.
Mobile Application Insights
The Latest Insights From The Pentest Team
The threat landscape doesn’t stand still, and neither do we. Our consultants invest in ongoing security research, CTF competitions, and responsible vulnerability disclosure to stay at the cutting edge of offensive security. The techniques we develop in the lab are the techniques we bring to your engagement.
