Top 10 Best Mobile App Security Testing Tools

In today’s globalizing and mobilizing society, Security is one essential factor that cannot be ignored. Apps for mobile devices have played a critical role in people’s lives, whether it’s banking, shopping, or social networking. As the usage of these applications increases the protection of individuals and organizations’ information becomes an issue. That is where the mobile app security testing tools come into play.

Mobile application security testing tools enable testers to detect holes in the applications to know how well protected the applications are from cyber vices such as data leakage, and hacking, among others. Employment of these tools enables the business to guard its applications and shield its users from different security threats.

As we continue with this blog, we will take a look at the Ten Useful Mobile App Security Testing Tools which will assist in determining if your application’s security is adequate and up to date.

Advantages of Mobile App Security Testing

Mobile app security testing offers multiple benefits, including:

• Protects sensitive data: Secure testing assists in safeguarding users’ sensitive information such as; passwords, payment details, and personal information from any unscrupulous individuals. 
• Enhances user trust: App users are more likely to trust and continue using the app and the developers take the best measures in ensuring user data and privacy. 
• Compliance with regulations: It is also common for many industries to have laid down strict measures concerning security, and running tests help verify that apps are secure. 
• Prevents costly security breaches: Solving the problems arising from the breach is expensive. Despite this, such expenses can be avoided by using security testing tools that can reveal the flaws at the initial stage. 
• Improves app performance: Hacking and patching of the application’s security issues can make overall app performance better and faster.

Key Factors in Choosing Mobile App Security Testing Tools

When selecting a mobile app security testing tool, several factors should be considered:

• Ease of use: Always select the tools that do not require the user to have deep knowledge and expertise. 
• Comprehensive testing: It should be able to provide flexibility in the type of tests, these being static, dynamic, and runtime. 
• Compatibility: Check whether the tool is compatible with the platforms and the programming languages you are using in your app. 
• Scalability: The tool should be effective in managing large apps and should be able to expand in capability as your app expands. 
• Regular updates: Select a tool that is updated frequently to prevent being caught off guard by new vulnerabilities and threats.

10 Best Mobile App Security Testing Tools

1. Frida

Overview:

There are various tools so let’s describe Frida briefly, Frida is a dynamic instrumentation tool kit aimed at developers, researchers, and reverse engineers. It enables you to hook scripts into the running process, which facilitates analyzing and testing the security of Mobile apps in real-time. Frida is used extensively for crashing apps on Android and iOS. 

 Key Features: 

• Monitoring of moving applications in real-time. 
• Cross-platform compatibility, for devices with Android and iOS operating systems. 
• Can interrupt and change the operation of resident applications. 
• Enables script injection both in the processes of the user and in the system processes. 
•  Supports popular programming languages such as JavaScript.

2. Burp Suite

Overview:

Burp Suite is an open-source framework for testing web applications that would often be ranked as top-of-the-line web vulnerability scanners. It is mainly utilized in the context of penetration testing and security assessment of mobile applications as well as web applications. In Burp Suite there are free and paid editions, however, depending on the extent of the advanced tools included. 

Key Features:

• It should provide a broad and deep ability of web vulnerability scanning. 
• One of the uses of this newly developed structure is the automated scanning of mobile apps. 
• The HTTP proxy server for interception and modification of HTTP connections’ requests and responses. 
• It supports the SSL/TLS traffic inspection. 
• Fully extensible and it has a large number of plugins.

3. Drozer

Overview:

Drozer is a tool that works as an information-gathering security testing framework that has been developed for Android. It enables security analysts as well as developers by allowing them to make an assessment of the attack vectors of mobile applications and do the ordinary test privilege escalation, data leakage, and so on. 

 Key Features: 

• Holds the capability to acknowledge security defects & issues relating to the applications of Android. 
• Capability to take advantage of and evaluate security threats. 
• Easy-to-use command-line interface. 
• Provides a list of parts of apps that are exposed and therefore vulnerable to attack. 
• It is useful in mimicking real-life attack scenarios.

4. Mobile Security Framework (MobSF)  

Overview: 

MobSF is a powerful and automated Security Testing framework to analyze Android, IOS, and Windows mobile apps. For static analysis it offers complete elements together with dynamic analysis; therefore security specialists can find a complete solution for their work. 

Key Features:

• The support matrices as far as static, dynamic, and malware analysis are concerned have been presented here. 
• Compatible with Android, iOS, and Windows operating systems. 
• Access to quick results and comprehensive reports regarding the security of the Website. 
• It can locate Code, configuration, and permissions weaknesses. 
• Complete coupling for OWASP Mobile Top 10.

5. Yaazhini

Overview: 

Yaazhini is a heavy weapon in the arsenal of mobile application security testing targeting iOS applications. This can be used in the identification of risks especially in areas of data, encryption, and authentication among others. Yaazhini is particularly useful for developers and security analysts, particularly in Apple iOS Security. 

Key Features: 

• More specifically it focuses solely on vulnerabilities within iOS apps. 
• Discovers data leakage and poor coding practices. 
• It provides for static and dynamic analysis of the code. 
• It has a plain and easy-to-use model of operation and a clear structure of menus. 
• Works to identify the poor encryption schemes that might have been used. 

6. JADX

Overview: 

Among those, there is a tool called JDAX which is a decompiler of Android applications that helps with the reverse engineering of APK files. It enables the user to have an interface to the source code of the application and assists in detecting security flaws in Android apps. 

 Key Features:

• The use of Android Asset Packaging File format in their APK, this includes decompiling APK files into Java source code. 
• Can be useful to discover some weaknesses that can be used by attackers in Android applications. 
• Ease of use and an uncluttered and clean design. 
• Good for recreation and reviewing the code. 
• Provides a GUI for exploratory purposes to allow users to browse decompilation results. 

7. Apktool

Overview:

Numerous tools are used to reverse engineer Android applications, one of the most commonly used tools is Apktool. This means that the users can pull an APK apart and put it back together once they have made their changes. This makes it easier to manage the code and access it for revision, probing for risks, and mastering the layout of the app. 

Key Features:

• Bears the capability of decompiling APK files so that the code can easily be read. 
• Allows for the APK assembly across which it has been disassembled once modified. 
• Used in the identification of security vulnerabilities in Android applications. 
• Gives a clear understanding of the app design and a general overview of the app. 
• Very suitable for both security analysis as well as for developing Android applications. 

8. ImmuniWeb Mobile Suite 

Overview:

ImmuniWeb Mobile Suite is a cloud-based solution that provides an extra level of mobile app security testing. Together with the static, dynamic, and interactive methodologies, it is used to assess the level of risks and compliance of the apps to the security standards. 

Key Features:

• Security testing of mobile applications using Artificial Intelligence. 
• Covers both the analysis of structures at a certain point in time and the changes that take place. 
• Find out about compliance to standards that apply in industries such as GDPR and PCI DSS compliance. 
• The continuous monitoring of security and security alerts in real-time. 
• User-friendly cloud-based platform. 

9. Metasploit 

Overview: 

Metasploit is one of the most recognized open-source Pentesting frameworks used for penetration testing and to find and take advantage of various system weaknesses; mobile apps inclusive. It has a big archive of modules therefore, it can be a useful tool for vulnerability assessment. 

Key Features: 

• Framework for the complete type of penetration searching. 
• Material Support for Many Devices such as Androids and iPhones. 
• The large variety of exploits and the payloads. 
• The ability to provide frequent updates on newly discovered vulnerabilities. 
• Automates software testing, as well as identifying the different vulnerabilities that are present. 

10. Ghidra

 Overview:

Ghidra is a reverse engineering tool that was created by the National Security Agency. At first, it offers advanced and varied methods for profiling compiled code on numerous operating systems, including mobile apps. This one is more beneficial when it comes to assessing the application and discovering its security vulnerabilities. 

Key Features:

• It also provides decompilation and reverse engineering features. 
• It supports multiple types of platforms such as web, IOS, and more interestingly, android apps. 
• Scrolling, colorful interface to deal with code data. 
• Saves time as most of the activities of reverse engineering are automated. 
• It is less highly customizable with scripting support as compared to SOFA. 

Want to conduct mobile app security testing? Qualysec has a strong team of expert ethical hackers who have all the necessary certifications and knowledge to find all possible vulnerabilities. Tap the link below and talk with our cybersecurity expert now!