Mobile Application Penetration Testing
Mobile binaries leak in surprising places. We tear them down on real devices, not emulators.
Half the bugs live in the binary, half in the API
Pull a mobile app apart and you tend to find things the developer never meant to ship — an API key sitting in plain text, a debug log dumping session tokens, a certificate check that sounds solid but isn't. CyberMindX takes your app apart on real hardware, not an emulator, and checks whether it actually trusts what it's supposed to and nothing more.
Roughly half of what we find lives in the binary itself, and the other half lives in the API behind it. The binary side starts with static work — pulling it apart, checking what libraries it pulls in, looking at how it's signed — which catches the easy mistakes fast. Then it goes onto a rooted or jailbroken device, where we can watch it run, get past certificate pinning, and see what it's really doing at runtime. Once we can see the traffic, the backend API gets tested with the same rigor as any other API — mobile teams often assume nobody else will ever call it, and that assumption is usually wrong.
How we run a mobile engagement
Scope & Threat Model
We agree which platforms and builds are in play, which user roles need coverage, and whether the backend API gets tested alongside the app or separately.
Static Analysis
The app gets pulled apart before it ever runs — dependencies checked, secrets searched for, and the signing and manifest configuration reviewed for anything left too permissive.
Dynamic Instrumentation
On real rooted or jailbroken hardware, we watch the app while it's actually running — stepping past certificate pinning and tracing what it does that static analysis alone can't show.
API & Backend Testing
Once we can intercept traffic, the backend gets the same treatment as a standalone API engagement — authorization checks, object-level access, and rate limiting all included.
Reporting & Free Retest
Every finding is tied back to a recognised mobile security standard, paired with hardening advice suited to your actual build process, and rechecked on your next signed release at no extra cost.
Scope of testing
- OWASP MASVS-aligned storage, crypto, network, and platform checks
- Static reverse engineering — secrets, weak crypto, debug paths
- Dynamic analysis with runtime instrumentation on rooted devices
- Certificate pinning, transport, and trust-store validation
- Inter-process communication and deep-link surface review
- Local data, biometrics, and secure-storage review
- Jailbreak / root detection and tamper-evidence review
What we find most often
Sensitive data sitting unprotected on the device
Session tokens and personal data saved in plain preference files, or local storage with permissions set far more loosely than they need to be.
Pinning that folds under light pressure
Certificate pinning is usually implemented at one predictable point in the code, which means it's often disabled in minutes with off-the-shelf tooling — it slows an attacker down, it doesn't stop one.
Deep links that do more than they should
A custom URL scheme that triggers a privileged action, or a component left exported and reachable by any other app installed on the same device.
Keys baked straight into the app
Third-party credentials and internal admin URLs sitting in the compiled binary itself, findable with nothing more than a basic string search.
Sector-aware testing
What you get
01 · Static + Dynamic Findings
Cross-referenced against mobile security best practices, not just a scanner dump.
02 · Hardening Guide
Tailored recommendations for your specific build pipeline and release process.
03 · Free Retest
Retest on the next signed build once findings are remediated.
Typical Duration
5–10 working days per platform, depending on app complexity.
What We Need From You
Signed APK / IPA, a backend test environment, and test user accounts.
Pricing & Retest
[Add your starting price] · free retest included
Buyer questions, answered honestly
iOS, Android, or both?
Either or both — scope and pricing adjust to the platforms in play. Testing both together is common since they often share a backend.
Do you need source code?
No — testing works from the compiled binary. Source access can speed up parts of the review if you're able to provide it.
Do you test on real devices?
Yes. Emulators miss certain classes of bugs, so dynamic testing runs on physical rooted or jailbroken hardware.
Is the backend API tested?
Yes, as part of the standard engagement — the mobile app's backend is tested with the same rigor as a dedicated API assessment.
What about jailbreak / root detection?
We test whether your tamper-detection actually holds up under instrumentation, and report on its effectiveness as a control.
Ready to scope this engagement?
We'll align on goals, rules of engagement, and timeline within one working day.