Mobile devices have progressed from simple communication devices to multi-tasking devices that can do almost everything. Ordering food, shopping, and even having basic directions are all things that can be achieved with a mobile phone. Only the wonderful world of mobile devices makes this possible. Today, we’ll explore how to test such mobile application security.
These are the fundamentals against which mobile apps are evaluated.
The overall performance and reliability of the Mobile application security are enhanced by checking these fundamentals. We’ll concentrate on one of these fundamentals, namely protection.
So let’s try to understand.
What is the concept of mobile application security?
The practice of protecting mobile applications from malware created by crackers and other cybercriminals is known as mobile application security. It can also be defined as a method of reducing the possibility of a mobile application being abused. Any mobile application security includes a variety of components that could be vulnerable to one or more flaws. The developers must adhere to best practices to ensure that the vulnerability is mitigated.
Why is it important to test mobile device security?
1. Secure the mobile application from attacks.
A successful penetration test relies heavily on the scope of the penetration testing. A penetration test is an excellent technique to discover more about your company’s risk profile. However, it must be properly scoped to ensure that the company receives the greatest benefit.
Hackers can target your mobile app with the intent of stealing your information. However, by focusing on Mobile Application Security, you can predict potential future scenarios and minimize associated risks. You can expect hacker activity to find vulnerabilities in the code and patch them before they are exploited. A penetration test is the type of security test used for this. In this case, the tester employs advanced IT expertise and tools to anticipate the behavior of an intruder who enters the client’s environment to acquire information and access permission without proper authorization.
3. Make sure the software
When an application is developed, it goes through a quality assurance phase in which it is evaluated for its robustness and ability to meet business and user requirements. Still, security testing is either missed or performed at the very last minute. Most security researchers suggest adopting a practice in which the application’s security is checked first, followed by the rest of the testing.
3. Adhere to strict trade protection guidelines and regulations.
Security testing has always been an essential and integral part of the software development life cycle. There’s no reason why mobile application security shouldn’t be an important or necessary part of the mobile app development process.
Techniques: A mobile application can be checked using one of two methods.
1. A mobile application that runs in the browser
HTML5, Cascading Style Sheets, and JavaScript are supported by a program built as a portable application. SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting, Authentication Checks, and Parameter Modifying Attacks are all threats that these applications are vulnerable to. When testing such applications, it is recommended to use an emulator because it may not work in the same way in different environments and search for the vulnerabilities mentioned above.
2. Create a native mobile application
Native applications (.apk,.ipa,.ipa,.IPA, iOS files that contain all of the components needed to execute the application’s desired functionality. Many applications have been created that rely on a third-party application to improve their functionality. The native application is usually downloaded from the operating system’s application download program, such as the play store or the app store. When testing such applications, every part of the application must be evaluated.
Procedure: There are two ways to test mobile applications
- Static: Mobile Application Security, the development team must include the application’s compiled binaries or source code for analysis in a static investigation. The code is thoroughly examined to ensure that essential security controls, such as authorization, session management, authentication, data storage, and information disclosure, are in place. Indeed, since many mobile apps are vulnerable to web application vulnerabilities, even native applications should be checked for these vulnerabilities. This process ensures that any potential weaknesses are identified and addressed before they can be exploited by attackers.
- Dynamic: dynamic testing is a method of evaluating a program and testing it by progressively executing content. The aim is to locate security escape clauses in a program while it is still running. The application’s backend administrations and APIs are subjected to dynamic review. The type of test to be performed is determined by the kind of portable application (native or browser-based).
Mobile Application Security: Vulnerabilities and how to prevent them.
- Binary Protection: Jailbreaking or rooting a computer allows you to find a way around the system’s data protection and encryption schemes. When a system is infected, any harmful contents will continue to run on it, forcing the application’s proposed practices to change. Data forensic and recovery software is typically only available on rooted computers.
- Mitigation: In terms of protection, it’s best not to keep the app running on rooted or jailbroken devices or use root/jailbreak detection.
- Inadequate Transport Layer Security: Jailbreaking or rooting a computer enables hackers to access the system’s data protection and encryption schemes. When a system is infected, any harmful contents will continue to run on it, forcing the application’s proposed practices to change. Data forensic and recovery software is typically only available on rooted computers.
- Information Leakage: This vulnerability in an application causes technical details of the web application, user-specific data, or the environment to be exposed. An attacker may use this sensitive information to exploit the target application, client, or hosting network. Attenuation Delete redundant data from server responses that could provide an attacker with additional information about your device.
- Insufficient Authorization/Authentication: This occurs when adequate approval checks are not performed to ensure that the client is performing a capability or accessing information in the manner stated in the security policy. Mitigation: Whenever possible, implement a proven authorization system scheme that prioritizes approach-based setup records over hard-coded authentication/authorization checks.
- Insufficient Session Expiration: In Mobile Application Security, after a client signs out of an account, the identifiers used during the session should be nullified. If the server fails to invalidate the session identifiers, other malicious users could manipulate those identifiers to mimic the original customer and conduct activities for their own gain. Mitigation: It is best practice to ensure that the application includes a secure logout mechanism. When the client clicks the logout button, their session should expire appropriately, preventing unauthorized access or session hijacking.
Tools used for Mobile Application Security
Santoku, MobSF, Drozer, Apktool, Burp Proxy, Wireshark, Frida, Radare, OWASP ZAP.
Check out: A Step-By-Step Guide For Application Development Process