Mobile application penetration testing services Archives

Why Mobile Application Penetration Testing is Crucial for Your Business

[email protected] / July 11, 2024

Mobile application penetration testing helps businesses find and fix security flaws that hackers could exploit for their gain. Did you know, that in December 2022 alone, the number of global mobile app cyberattacks was approx. 2.2 million? This number keeps fluctuating, but millions of cyberattacks on mobile apps continue to happen regularly. With technological advancement, attackers are developing new techniques to hack a mobile app and steal valuable information. This is why mobile application penetration testing and cybersecurity are now a must for all things digital, especially for mobile apps, since they store sensitive user data and often handle transactions. This blog is going to discuss mobile app penetration testing, what it is, and how it is the secret weapon to keep the apps safe from cyber threats. What is Mobile Application Penetration Testing? Penetration Testing in Mobile Applications is conducted to analyze the security of mobile apps and their resilience against cyberattacks. The Google Play and Apple Store combined have nearly 6 million apps. To protect these apps from getting hacked, app manufacturers need regular security testing, in this case, penetration testing. In pen tests, the testers, also referred to as “ethical hackers” simulate real-world attacks on the mobile app to identify security vulnerabilities. They even suggest methods to fix the found vulnerabilities. They examine the app’s code, network communications, and server interactions to identify weak points. Penetration testers use various tools and techniques to break into the app just like a hacker would and conduct the tests. They check for security issues like code, network communications, and server interactions to identify weak points. The main goal of mobile app penetration testing is to ensure the app is secure and to protect user data from breaches. Key Benefits of Mobile Application Penetration Testing Penetration testing not only enhances the security of the apps but also indirectly increases revenue. There are plenty of benefits to conducting mobile application security testing, such as: 1. Identify Vulnerabilities Early Penetration testing helps detect security flaws in mobile apps, such as coding errors, insecure data storage, and weak authentication mechanisms. This allows developers to address these specific issues before hackers exploit them. 2. Enhance App Security By simulating real-world attacks, mobile penetration testing reveals the app’s security weaknesses. Developers can then implement the necessary security measures, making the app strong enough to prevent real hacking attempts. 3. Protect User Data Mobile apps usually store sensitive user information like personal details, credit card info, and login credentials. mobile application penetration testing services help keep this data secure and ensure it is protected from unauthorized access and breaches. 4. Compliance With Regulations Many industries, such as healthcare and finance require apps to comply with strict data protection standards. Penetration testing ensures the app meets regulatory requirements, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Explore more about compliance here! 5. Improve User Trust Users are more likely to trust apps that offer security. with regular mobile app penetration testing and addressing vulnerabilities, app manufacturers can assure users that their data is safe. As a result, it enhances user trust and retention. 6. Reduce Cost By identifying and remediating security issues early through mobile application security testing, you can prevent costly data breaches. Additionally, you can minimize potential financial and reputational damage, and save money in the long run. OS-Specific Mobile Application Penetration Testing There are basically two main operating systems (OS) that rule the mobile app industry i.e. Android and iOS. Each has its own specific set of security rules and requires niche testing. Android Penetration Testing iOS Penetration Testing How to do Security Testing for Mobile Applications? Mobile application security testing or penetration testing is usually done by third-party service providers with expert “ethical hackers”. It is usually conducted in eight critical steps, such as: Would you like to see a real mobile app pen test report? Click on the link below and download it immediately. Latest Penetration Testing Report Download Challenges in Mobile Apps Penetration Testing Due to the increasing number of mobile-OS-browser combinations, there are several challenges for testers to be on top of their game. Some common mobile application penetration testing challenges include: 1. Device Fragmentation Different mobile devices have different screen sizes, OS, and hardware configurations. This diversity makes it challenging to ensure that the app runs securely across all possible devices and requires extensive testing on multiple platforms. 2. Updated Device Models Every other year a new model of a mobile device is released, each with updated software and hardware features. As penetration testers, it is challenging to keep up with these updates and also adapt their testing strategies to potential new vulnerabilities. Vulnerability Assessment plays an important role in identifying and addressing these evolving threats. 3. Testing Mobile App on Staging Staging environments are usually different from production environments, leading to multiple security issues. It can be challenging to ensure that the app behaves equally in both environments. Also, the vulnerabilities found in the staging might not relate to real-world conditions accurately. 4. Mobile Network Bandwidth Issues Mobile apps operate on various networks, such as 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi. It is crucial to test the apps under different bandwidth conditions to identify network-related vulnerabilities. Additionally, it can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. 5. Real User Condition Testing Simulating real user conditions, such as different network speeds, battery levels, and background app activity is very challenging. However, it is also important to accurately replicate these conditions during testing to uncover vulnerabilities that users might encounter in their daily use. 6. Different Types of Applications Mobile apps come in various types, such as native apps, web apps, and hybrid apps. Each type has unique security challenges and requires different testing methodologies. Penetration testers must be experts in testing the security of all these applications to ensure total coverage. 7. Geolocation App Scenarios Apps that use geolocation features, such as Google Maps, need to be tested for scenarios that involve data manipulation and spoofing. It is challenging to ensure the app’s security against these threats as simulating different geolocation scenarios is a time-consuming and tedious task. Tools for Mobile Application Penetration Testing Mobile application penetration testing is a combination of automated tools

Cyber Crime

Mobile App Security Testing : 7 Penetration Testing Best Practices

[email protected] / January 3, 2024

To reduce an application’s security concerns, developers must ensure their applications can withstand rigorous security testing. Fortunately, technologies exist to ease and even automate these security tests. Best practices can also be used to guide and educate the testing process. This post will discuss the most frequent mobile app security testing and highlight popular vulnerabilities. We’ll also go about recommended practices for app security testing and tools for safeguarding mobile apps in a CI/CD pipeline. Extensive penetration testing can prevent or minimize mobile app security errors (or breaches). As a result, app developers and businesses are using penetration testing to examine the IT infrastructure, database security, mobile applications, and other parts of the mobile app. Mobile app security best practices consider itself an essential component of the entire app security strategy. If you do not have in-house experience in mobile app pen testing, we suggest that you work with a reputable penetration testing firm. In this article, we’ll go over the fundamentals of developing an effective mobile app pen testing approach. What is Mobile App Security Testing? Protecting valuable mobile applications and your online identity from fraudulent attacks is mobile app security. This covers key loggers, malware, tampering, reverse engineering, and other types of interference or manipulation. A complete mobile app security strategy includes best practices for use and corporate procedures, along with technological solutions like mobile app shielding. Mobile app security has rapidly gained significance since mobile devices have become more commonplace in many nations and areas. An increase in mobile devices, apps, and users correlates with the trend toward more usage of mobile devices for banking services, shopping, and other activities. The good news is that banks are strengthening their security regarding customers using mobile devices for financial services with Android application penetration testing and iOS application penetration testing . What are the Common Vulnerabilities in Mobile App Security Testing? Mobile app security is critical because of the growing amount of sensitive data that mobile devices contain and our growing reliance on them. Organizations and users may safeguard their mobile apps proactively by being aware of prevalent threats and vulnerabilities. The following are some Common Mobile App Security Threats: 1. Not Enough Authentication or Authorization Insufficient authorization occurs when an application does not carry out sufficient authorization checks to confirm that the user is carrying out a task or accessing data in compliance with the security policy. Authorization processes should keep an eye on what a user, service, or application is permitted to do. Your efforts can be more at ease if you choose a tried-and-true authorization application that prioritizes policy-based configuration files over thorough authentication/authorization assessments. 2. Insufficient Session Time-Out The identifiers get invalidate when a user logs out of the program. Even in such cases, other users may interrupt and act on behalf of the users if the server is unable to invalidate the session identifiers. You must ensure the program has a logout button and wait for the correct log-out until the session is correctly invalidated. The main point is that you should download apps with common sense. 3. Server-Side Security Flaw Unauthenticated access may be avoided on the server side; nevertheless, input validation checks and limits must be integrated into the app architecture to lessen the strain on the server. The application should confirm the input data during the server processing phase and stop anomalous behavior. As you are aware, one can block some types of data from the app side and allowlist the required ones. Encryption should be used by both the app and the server when receiving and sending data. 4. Insecure Data Storage Insecure storage of sensitive data on the device may lead to vulnerability. People must always remember that sensitive data saved on devices can potentially be stolen and that data stored on devices isn’t protected from theft. Furthermore, to prevent this problem, apps should save sensitive data in keychain pairs. The data must be encrypted if the app stores information in the form of data. 5. Inappropriate Validation of Certificates The app may need to accurately verify the state, validate the SSL/TLS certificates, or refuse to. If the certificate cannot be confirmed, the client might choose to terminate the connection. If the data is not adequately verified, it may be utilized for illegal access. Furthermore, to cross-check whether a certificate is from a reliable source and whether it should come from a respectable certificate authority, you must make sure that the certificate validation in your application is completed correctly. For the best validation, you ought to be putting some recent standard forums into practice. If your business is facing these vulnerabilities and you’re worried about your business infrastructure, don’t be. Qualysec’s expert security consultants are here to help! Schedule a call with them for FREE today! Talk to our Cybersecurity Expert to discuss your specific needs and how we can help your business. Schedule a Call What Impact Can These Vulnerabilities Have on Your Business? App security issues have both short-term and long-term effects. Immediate financial consequences and lost business may arise from the ensuing reputational harm. For this reason, a crucial element of mobile device management is application security. Long-term effects can sometimes have greater significance than immediate ones. There are multiple ways an attacker can exploit security flaws in your app. For instance, they can carry out data theft and man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks or use ports for unauthorized communication. Statistics on Mobile App Hacking The numbers around mobile app hacking are alarming. These are a handful: Over 12 million users’ login details were made public by the Slack mobile app hack. In the end, thirteen distinct Android apps exposed data belonging to as many as 100 million users. Up to 21 million users of the parking application were affected by the hack. A breach compromised the personal information of 650,000 users on the COVID-19 passport app. Identifying Vulnerabilities in Mobile Apps: Key Penetration Testing Techniques As the name implies, mobile app penetration testing simulates a real-world attack on the

Mobile App Pentesting

A Deep Dive into Mobile Application Penetration Testing

[email protected] / November 9, 2023

Mobile applications and services are critical components of our daily life, both at home and at work. As a result, they are attractive targets for hostile actors looking for sensitive information. Mobile application penetration testing helps identify vulnerabilities and enhance security. Cyberattacks increased by 38% in 2022 compared to the previous year, while the number of new mobile malware types increased by 54% in 2019. A test report indicates that 84% of applications could not determine if their source code had been tainted with malicious code, leaving them open to a wide range of assaults. Only 15.7% of programs had any type of repackaging detection in place, making them the exception rather than the rule. With these, we know how vulnerable a mobile can be to cyberattacks, and how it can impact the privacy of individuals. In this blog, we will dive into the dept of mobile app pentesting as it secures the application with robust techniques. Keep reading and learning! What is Mobile Application Penetration Testing? Mobile application Penetration testing is used to identify security flaws in mobile applications to defend them from attack. The Apple App Store and Google Play both have approximately 6 million mobile apps. Organizations require tested mobile security across all app components. Decades of experience, exceptional customer service, flexible scheduling, and lightning-fast return time are all prerequisites for successful mobile app pen testing. These important components enable a threat-based approach, extensive testing with numerous analysis kinds, and support in resolving and validating any issues uncovered. What are the Perks of Performing Pen Testing for Mobile Applications? Mobile app security testing is an ongoing activity that benefits both the app development company and the app user. We’ll look at the top benefits of mobile security testing here: 1. Avoid Future Assaults Running your app through a simulated assault is the greatest approach to assess its security strength. With an expert-level pen test, you can foresee potential future scenarios and prevent risks, as well as discover and fix code problems before hackers exploit them. Conducting frequent mobile pen testing will aid in the long-term safety and longevity of your app. 2. Prevent Monetary Loss A data breach may cause considerable financial harm to a company in a variety of ways. If hackers get your personal information, they may demand payment in the form of ransomware. This may be prevented if the mobile app is subject to vulnerability and penetration testing before release. As a result, investing in security is better than falling victim to hackers or attacks. 3. Increased ROI on IT investments It is critical first to protect the asset to ensure data security. Mobile app pen testing searches and addresses underlying dangers in the asset. With timely vulnerability assessments, an organization may prioritize which vulnerabilities to target first depending on the damage they might do to a system. This may also assist a company in gaining new clients and consumers. What Should You Test in a Mobile Application? Below are the things a penetration testing company checks to secure a mobile application: 1. Authorization and Authentication Examine the techniques for authenticating users, such as password security, biometrics, and two-factor authentication (2FA). Verify that users can only access the areas of the app that they are permitted to by testing role-based access control. Investigate how sessions are maintained and secured, searching for flaws such as session fixation, hijacking, and timeout difficulties. 2. Data Protection: Examine how sensitive data is stored on the device and communicated to backend systems. Avoid, insecure data storage, such as plaintext storage or inadequate encryption. Look for input validation flaws that might lead to data injection attacks such as SQL injection or remote code execution. Examine the program to ensure that it does not mistakenly reveal sensitive information to unauthorized users via logs, error messages, or other unintended routes. 3. Communication and Networking: Use proper encryption methods (e.g., TLS/SSL) to ensure that data is delivered securely between the mobile app and the server. Examine APIs for common web vulnerabilities such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), and unsecured API endpoints. Examine your network for potential network-based attacks such as DNS spoofing, network spy, and unsecured Wi-Fi connections. How to Perform Mobile Application Penetration Testing? Pre-Assessment The testing team specifies the scope and objectives of the penetration test during the pre-assessment phase. They collaborate with the app’s owner or developer to understand the app’s goals, functions, and possible dangers. This step involves preparation and logistics, such as defining the testing environment, establishing rules of engagement, and getting any necessary approvals and credentials to execute the test. Information Gathering The testing company advocates taking a simplified method to begin the mobile app penetration testing procedure. Begin by using the supplied link to submit an inquiry, which will put you in touch with knowledgeable cybersecurity specialists. They will walk you through the process of completing a pre-assessment questionnaire, which covers both technical and non-technical elements of your desired mobile application. Testers arrange a virtual presentation meeting to explain the evaluation approach, tools, timing, and expected expenses. Following that, they set up the signing of a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and service agreement to ensure strict data protection. Once all necessary information has been gathered, the penetration testing will begin, ensuring the security of your mobile app. Penetration Testing The testing team actively seeks to attack vulnerabilities and security flaws in the mobile app during the penetration testing process. This phase consists of a series of simulated assaults and evaluations to detect flaws. Testers can rate the app’s authentication procedures, data storage, data transport, session management, and connection with external services. Source code analysis, dynamic analysis, reverse engineering, manual testing, and automation testing are all common penetration testing methodologies a tester uses. Analysis Each finding’s severity is assessed individually, and those with higher ratings have a greater technical and commercial effect with fewer dependencies. 1. Likelihood Determination: The assessment team rates the likelihood of exploitation for each vulnerability based on the following factors: The

Mobile application penetration testing services

Why Mobile Application Penetration Testing is Crucial for Your Business

Mobile App Security Testing : 7 Penetration Testing Best Practices

A Deep Dive into Mobile Application Penetration Testing

Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

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