Mobile application security audits

Mobile application security audits

Tarlogic offers a complete set of security and privacy tests specially developed for the execution of mobile application audits

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Mobile App Security Testing objectives

Mobile application security audits objectives

The world we live in is constantly evolving and technologies along with it. Currently, it is undeniable to think that we can live without it. This is why we have more and more mobile devices closer to our lives, where we work with a multitude of applications in both Android and iOS operating systems.

Every day thousands of applications are installed that work with our personal data. This is why applications must be subjected to a security audit, to verify that they are following the best practices of secure code and comply with the current data protection law, among others, such as PSD2 in banking applications.

The goal of our mobile application security audits is to detect all vulnerabilities that may affect the apps that our clients have developed, preventing cybercriminals from taking advantage of existing security holes to compromise our mobile devices and suffer data theft.

Mobile application security audits benefits

Some of the benefits included in mobile application security assessments are:

  • Identification of vulnerabilities in the application's authentication mechanisms.
  • Detection of sensitive information storage in the context of the application.
  • Identification of bad app development practices in the use of Webviews.
  • Detection of vulnerable IPC mechanisms in Android systems.
  • Identification of bad practices in network connections.
  • Identification and evasion of restrictions in the context of the application.
  • Detection of incorrect use of encryption algorithms in the keychain/keystore.
  • Intrusion tests in the backend of the applications.
  • Detailed recommendations on app vulnerability mitigation.
mobile application audit services benefits

Mobile app security audit

Application traffic is increasing day by day, at the same time that new security flaws appear frequently in the news. To avoid this situation our team will evaluate the applications following official standards. Our mobile app security audit is fully adaptable to the client's needs.

Mobile applications will be analyzed in order to help identify and solve any security issues that may compromise both the integrity of the business and customer information.

OWASP MASVS/MSTG Methodology

The MASVS (Mobile Application Security Verification Standard) standard has 8 domains, covering all the requirements that an Android or iOS mobile application should meet, according to verification level (MASVS-L1 and MASVS-L2), as well as a set of reverse engineering resistance requirements (MASVS-R).

  • V1: Architecture, Design and Threat Modeling Requirements
  • V2: Data Storage and Privacy Requirements
  • V3: Cryptography Requirements
  • V4: Authentication and Session Management Requirements
  • V5: Network Communication Requirements
  • V6: Platform Interaction Requirements
  • V7: Code Quality and Compiler Configuration Requirements
  • V8: Reverse Engineering Resiliency Requirements

In addition, to help in the identification and detection of such requirements at the technical level, from Tarlogic we make use of the MSTG (Mobile Security Testing Guide), which serves to analyze and assess the risks associated with MASVS.

The technology and development of Android and iOS mobile applications is advancing rapidly, and with it the possible threats to the security and privacy of their users. To stay up to date, Tarlogic Security offers a complete set of security and privacy tests developed especially for mobile applications.

Mobile app security testing FAQs

What is Mobile App security audit?

There are currently more than 250 billion applications downloads per year globally. These apps are used by users to communicate, shop, play or work. It is for this reason and given that the user entrusts his/her personal data in the developer hands, the developer must ensure the security of the user’s data.

For this reason, a security audit must be carried out on the mobile application. Using methodologies as the OWASP MASVS/MSTG for the testing, will ensure the identification of application’s vulnerabilities. The application analysis will assess the security of the sensitive information saved on the device, in the application binary and shared with the server. Thanks to this approach, for example it can be determined if it is possible to access confidential data of other users without the required authorization.

Why mobile application security is important?

When a user installs an application, they do not know a priori how their personal data is processed. This could cause distrust and they may proceed to uninstall the application.

Carrying out an audit of an application guarantees its maximum possible security of the applications, since all the vulnerabilities found at the time of carrying out the audit can been found and fixed. This will prevent malicious user or threat actors from having unauthorized access to user data. Therefore, security in mobile applications is vital to comply with regulations on personal data processing. The testing will make the users feel safer and more confident of the application, knowing that their privacy is well protected by the developer.

How do you check security on an application?

Carrying out an audit of a mobile application consists of finding the maximum possible number of vulnerabilities that may affect it. It is not only about carrying out security tests to check the connections with the server using dynamic analysis, it also includes a static analysis of the application to verify that no sensitive information is stored insecurely in the binary or on the device. It also ensures that it is not possible to circumvent security controls imposed by the developer.

To carry out the audit, it is necessary to use a standard such as OWASP MASVS and its MSTG testing guide, which establishes two security levels (MASVS-L1 and MASVS-L2) and a set of tests against reverse engineering (MASVS -R) to guarantee that a comprehensive audit of the application has been carried out.