Mobile App Pentest - iOS, Android, and the Business Logic Most Vendors Skip
OWASP MASVS plus MASTG plus your actual application flows. Not a jailbreak detection checklist. Manual exploitation of the business logic that drives your product.
You might be experiencing...
Mobile application penetration testing in the UAE means treating the mobile client as a hostile environment - not assuming it behaves. Jailbroken iPhones. Rooted Androids. Frida-hooked runtimes. Decompiled binaries. That is where attackers live, and that is where we test.
What Manual Mobile Pentesting Finds
Automated mobile scanners like MobSF catch low-hanging fruit - hardcoded API keys, exported activities, insecure WebView settings. They miss the things that actually cause data breaches:
Certificate pinning that looks implemented but is bypassable with Frida. Most apps “check” for pinning but can be bypassed with a single runtime hook.
Local secure storage that leaks under adversarial access. Keychain/Keystore items with accessibility too permissive. Shared preferences containing session tokens. SQLite databases with PII in plaintext.
Business logic flaws in mobile-specific flows. Payment tampering via in-app purchase receipt manipulation. KYC bypass by submitting modified ID document hashes. Promo code or loyalty point abuse by replay of client-side events.
IDOR and authorization flaws on device-scoped APIs. Endpoints that assume the mobile client’s user ID, easily manipulated in Burp after pinning bypass.
Deep-link and cross-app leakage. iOS Universal Links and Android App Links that leak sensitive context, intents that accept unexpected input, or shared URL schemes that hijack data between apps.
OWASP MASVS and MASTG, Not Just a Checkbox
Our reports are OWASP MASVS-mapped end to end - every finding references the specific control it violates, giving you auditable evidence for customer security questionnaires, app-store reviews, and UAE regulator submissions. We cover:
- MSTG-AUTH - authentication and session management
- MSTG-STORAGE - local data storage and Keychain/Keystore use
- MSTG-CRYPTO - cryptographic primitive use (random number generation, key management, algorithm selection)
- MSTG-NETWORK - TLS configuration, certificate pinning, proxy detection
- MSTG-CODE - third-party library CVEs, compiler hardening, debug-mode leakage
- MSTG-RESILIENCE - anti-tampering, anti-debugging, jailbreak/root detection
Related Services
Mobile pentesting is most valuable combined with the services the app depends on:
- API Security Testing for the backend the app calls
- Web Application Penetration Testing for any web admin console
- Cloud Penetration Testing for the AWS/Azure/GCP infrastructure
- Penetration Testing UAE - coordinated full-stack engagement covering all of the above
Engagement Phases
Threat Modeling & Static Analysis
Application teardown, manifest/Info.plist review, third-party SDK inventory, hardcoded secret scanning, and trust boundary mapping. IPA and APK extracted and decompiled for static review.
Dynamic Analysis & Instrumentation
Frida-instrumented runtime analysis, certificate pinning bypass, root/jailbreak detection bypass, local data storage review (Keychain, Keystore, shared preferences, sqlite), and intercepted traffic testing on jailbroken and rooted devices.
Authentication & Authorization Testing
Session handling, token storage, biometric binding, multi-device session management, IDOR on device-scoped APIs, deep-link handling, and cross-app data leakage via shared intents or universal links.
Business Logic & Reporting
Business-specific flows - payment, KYC, document upload, in-app purchase tampering, promo code abuse, workflow skipping. Then full OWASP MASVS-mapped report with CVSS v3.1, reproduction steps, and remediation.
Deliverables
Before & After
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Testing Depth | MobSF scan output, automated checklist | Frida instrumentation, cert-pinning bypass, root/jailbreak bypass, business-logic exploitation |
| Framework Coverage | Native iOS/Android only | Native + React Native + Flutter + Ionic + Xamarin - no blind spots |
| Business Logic Coverage | Excluded from scope | Explicit scope - payment tampering, KYC bypass, promo abuse, workflow skipping |
Tools We Use
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you test iOS and Android separately or together?
Both in one engagement by default, because most UAE consumer and enterprise apps ship on both platforms and share a backend API. Findings are separated in the report where platform-specific (Keystore vs Keychain, SafetyNet vs DeviceCheck) and combined where common (business logic, backend-integration flaws). Single-platform testing is available if only one platform is in scope.
Do I need to provide jailbroken or rooted devices?
No. We maintain a device lab with jailbroken iPhones and rooted Android handsets across recent iOS and Android versions. You provide the IPA and APK plus test accounts at all privilege levels - user, admin, and any role-based tiers your app supports.
What is OWASP MASVS and do you map to it?
The OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard is the industry reference for mobile application security requirements - authentication (MSTG-AUTH), data storage (MSTG-STORAGE), cryptography (MSTG-CRYPTO), network communication (MSTG-NETWORK), code quality (MSTG-CODE), and resilience (MSTG-RESILIENCE). Our report explicitly maps every finding to the relevant MASVS control, giving you documented evidence against the industry standard.
Can you test React Native, Flutter, or hybrid apps?
Yes. React Native, Flutter, Ionic, Xamarin, and native web-view hybrid apps are all in scope. Each framework has specific attack surfaces (React Native JS bundle extraction, Flutter AOT binary reversal, hybrid app WebView injection) that we test explicitly. Framework-specific findings are documented separately.
My app handles UAE Emirates ID or biometric data - any special considerations?
Yes. UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on personal data protection (PDPL) and sector-specific requirements from DHA (health data) and CBUAE (payment credentials) add specific testing requirements - data-at-rest encryption on device, biometric-binding integrity, and revocation paths. We map findings to the applicable framework and flag any gaps that would surface in a regulatory review.
How does this differ from an API penetration test?
API testing hits the backend from a controlled client - it proves the server behaves correctly for well-formed requests. Mobile pentesting tests what happens when the attacker owns the client - jailbroken device, Frida-hooked runtime, modified binary. Different threat model, different findings. Together they cover the full mobile attack surface; separately, each misses half of it.
Find It Before They Do
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