Mobile app pentest guide for iOS and Android teams

A mobile app pentest should not stop at static binary analysis. Most serious mobile findings involve the relationship between the device, app storage, network traffic, identity, backend APIs, and business workflows.

Start with local storage. Test keychain or keystore usage, cached tokens, PHI or PII storage, logs, screenshots, clipboard behavior, exported files, and offline data. Sensitive data should not remain accessible after logout, device compromise, or role changes.

Network traffic testing should inspect certificate pinning, TLS configuration, API endpoints, authorization headers, replay behavior, and error handling. A mobile app often reveals API paths and assumptions that web testing misses.

Deep links, intents, universal links, push notifications, and inter-app communication can all create unexpected entry points. Test whether they bypass authentication, expose data, or trigger actions in the wrong account context.

Backend authorization is still central. The mobile client should not be trusted to enforce roles, tenant boundaries, rate limits, or workflow order. Every sensitive mobile action should be validated server-side.

A useful report ties mobile evidence to backend impact. Showing that a token is stored insecurely is stronger when the report also explains what that token can access and how an attacker would use it.

DeepScan treats mobile apps as part of a broader product attack surface, combining mobile client testing with API and cloud evidence where the real impact lives.