Published · By the Aesparrow Security Research Team
Short answer
Mobile application VAPT tests an Android (APK) or iOS (IPA) app and its backend APIs for security weaknesses using static analysis, dynamic runtime testing and reverse engineering. It checks insecure data storage, weak cryptography, SSL/certificate pinning, authentication, platform permissions and API authorisation, aligned to OWASP MASVS and the OWASP Mobile Top 10.
What does a mobile app penetration test check?
- Insecure data storage: secrets, tokens and personal data in local storage, logs or backups.
- Cryptography: hard-coded keys, weak algorithms and misuse of platform keystores.
- Network security: TLS configuration, certificate pinning and pinning bypass resistance.
- Authentication and session: biometric bypass, token handling and session expiry.
- Platform interaction: exported activities, intents, deep links, URL schemes and WebViews.
- Code protection: reverse engineering, tampering, root/jailbreak detection and obfuscation.
- Backend APIs: broken object-level authorisation and data exposure.
How to perform mobile application VAPT
- 1Obtain builds and scopeCollect APK/IPA builds, test accounts and API documentation.
- 2Static analysisDecompile and review code, manifest and configuration for secrets and insecure settings.
- 3Dynamic analysisRun the app on instrumented devices, intercept traffic and test runtime behaviour.
- 4API testingTest the backend APIs the app uses against the OWASP API Security Top 10.
- 5Report and re-testDeliver MASVS-mapped findings and verify fixes in the next build.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Clear answers about what we do — and what we don’t. If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to our team.
Why is mobile application security testing important?
Mobile apps run on devices you do not control and often store tokens and personal data locally. Attackers can reverse engineer them, so testing is needed to protect users and backend APIs.
Do you need both Android and iOS testing?
Yes if you ship both. The platforms store data, handle permissions and implement pinning differently, so each build needs its own assessment, while shared APIs can be tested once.