Mobile Application Security Assessment

A mobile security assessment examines how an application protects data, identities, sessions, communications and business functions across the device and connected services. It goes beyond functional testing by asking how the app behaves when an authorised tester attempts to inspect, intercept, manipulate or misuse it.

Depending on scope, testing may cover the mobile package, runtime behaviour, authentication flows, backend APIs, permissions, local storage, certificate handling, sensitive data exposure and resistance to reverse engineering or tampering.

OWASP describes the Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS) as an industry standard for mobile app security. Its control groups cover storage, cryptography, authentication and authorisation, network communication, platform interaction, code quality, resilience and privacy. The OWASP Mobile Application Security Testing Guide (MASTG) provides technical guidance for verifying those controls.

Mobile vulnerabilities can remain invisible during normal user-acceptance testing. An app may work correctly while exposing tokens in storage, trusting weak certificates, requesting unnecessary permissions, embedding secrets in the application package or relying on client-side checks that can be bypassed.

Release-oriented testing helps teams evaluate a production-equivalent build before users receive it. It is also useful after major feature changes, authentication redesigns, API migrations or remediation of earlier findings.

1. Define the Release Scope

Identify the Android and iOS builds, backend services, user roles, environments and critical business journeys in scope. This prevents important APIs or privileged workflows from being overlooked.

2. Review the Application Package

The APK/AAB or IPA and relevant configuration can be reviewed for exposed data, embedded secrets, permissions, certificates, build settings and other release risks.

3. Perform Dynamic Testing

The application is exercised in an authorised test environment to review authentication, session behaviour, storage, network traffic, error handling, device interactions and security controls.

4. Test Backend and API Interactions

Server-side controls are checked to determine whether identity, permissions, object access and transaction state are enforced independently of values supplied by the mobile client.

5. Prioritise Findings

Findings are assessed according to impact, exploitation conditions, affected components and business relevance so teams can separate urgent release risks from hardening opportunities.

6. Retest Important Corrections

Where agreed, critical and high-risk fixes can be retested to verify that the weakness has been addressed effectively. ComplyMarket's published Cybersecurity Lab services include remediation validation and retesting among its testing methods and potential outputs.

Keep secrets out of the app package. Mobile applications run on devices controlled by users and should be treated as inspectable. Embedded passwords, private keys or privileged credentials should not be used as a secure trust boundary.

Minimise sensitive local storage. Store only what the application needs. Use suitable platform-provided protection for credentials, tokens and other high-value information.

Request only necessary permissions. Permissions and entitlements should map directly to required functionality. Unnecessary access increases attack surface and privacy exposure. Android's current developer guidance likewise recommends minimising permission requests and data visibility.

Enforce authorisation on the server. A hidden button or client-side role check is not a security boundary. Backend services should independently verify whether each user can perform a sensitive action.

Protect the session lifecycle. Review token storage, refresh, expiry, logout, revocation and recovery flows. Session behaviour should match the sensitivity of the application.

Use secure transport without weak exceptions. Certificates should be validated correctly, and unnecessary cleartext connections or broad trust overrides should be avoided. Android provides Network Security Configuration controls, while Apple App Transport Security is designed to enforce secure network connections.

Test business logic, not only technical controls. Check whether users can skip required steps, repeat restricted actions, change transaction values, bypass limits or manipulate workflow states.

Harden production builds. Disable unnecessary debug settings and sensitive logging, review third-party components and consider resilience controls where reverse engineering creates material risk.

Retest after material changes. New authentication methods, SDKs, payment flows, backend services or privileged functions can change the attack surface.

A practical assessment benefits from a production-equivalent build, test accounts for relevant roles, API or endpoint documentation where available, architecture and data-flow information, expected user journeys and a safe non-production environment.

ComplyMarket's published Cybersecurity Lab guidance states that mobile app packages or test-store access, test accounts, API documentation, architecture information and test-environment access may be requested depending on the testing scope.

Depending on the engagement, outputs may include a mobile application testing report, risk-rated findings, affected components, supporting evidence, reproduction steps where appropriate, recommended corrective actions, a remediation roadmap and retest results.

These outputs are consistent with ComplyMarket's published Cybersecurity Lab approach, which lists mobile application testing reports, remediation roadmaps, retest reports and risk-rated findings with supporting evidence among potential project deliverables.

ComplyMarket supports organisations that develop, manufacture or operate software and connected products with Android and iOS security testing. Its Cybersecurity Lab publicly lists testing for insecure local storage, weak authentication, token leakage, hardcoded secrets, weak certificate validation, insecure API communication, reverse-engineering risks, excessive permissions, insecure biometric or MFA flows, weak session handling and business-logic vulnerabilities.

Depending on the agreed scope, ComplyMarket can combine mobile testing with API security testing, broader product cybersecurity assessment, remediation planning, technical-documentation support and retesting after corrective action. This is useful when the mobile app forms part of a connected product or wider compliance programme and findings must be understood across engineering, cybersecurity, product, quality and compliance teams.

ComplyMarket provides cybersecurity testing, gap assessment and documentation support. Where formal certification, notified-body assessment or accredited laboratory activity is legally required, the appropriate authorised body remains responsible. ComplyMarket's published Cybersecurity Lab information makes this distinction explicitly.

The goal is practical: identify significant mobile security weaknesses before release, prioritise corrections and produce clear evidence that supports product security decisions and ongoing cybersecurity management.