So, you’ve got your Android app all set to launch? You are so excited to get it out in the market and start generating revenue. But wait! Before that, make sure there aren’t any security issues with your code that will put your customers at risk of getting hacked.
If you are an android developer, it is important to conduct android penetration testing before releasing your app. Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world. With such a high number of android users, android penetration testing has become an important topic. This post will provide information on what android penetration testing is, why it’s necessary to conduct android penetration testings, some common mobile attacks, and how to conduct a penetration test.
What is Android Penetration Testing?
Android penetration testing is an android security analysis that goes through the entire android application. It tries to find any existing vulnerabilities in the android app, so developers can fix them before releasing their apps. Android penetration testing can be done manually or automatically, but android penetration tests are usually conducted by pen-testers.
Why Conduct Android Penetration Tests?
The main reason android penetration testings are necessary is that android apps contain a lot of security issues. Some common android app vulnerabilities include:
- Insecure data storage (for example, not encrypting the stored passwords or credentials)
- Client-side injection (injection flaws that can be exploited by hackers to steal sensitive information from it)
- Broken authentication and session management
- Cross-site scripting bugs
These are only a few examples of android penetration testing findings. During android penetration testings, developers might discover many more android application security issues. If these were discovered after releasing an android app, there would be no way to fix them because they are already out in the public domain. This could cause big losses to companies who have released their android applications with android penetration testing issues.
What Are Some Common Android Application Attacks?
There are many different kinds of android app security vulnerabilities, but a few of the most common android application attacks are:
Browser-based attacks
When Android apps are browsing the web, they might use an insecure android browser component. If it’s not patched with the latest security updates, attackers can exploit this using client-side injection attacks and steal sensitive data from android app users (for example their login credentials).
- Fake parameters in URL (malware or backdoors could be uploaded to an android app)
- Clickjacking attack (hackers can trick users into clicking on links they don’t want to click by hiding them behind other windows)
SMS-based attacks
Android apps can be tricked into sending premium-rate SMS messages to cybercriminals. Malicious SMS messages (for example, fake notifications or popups) can cause a lot of damage as well.
Application-logic-based attack
Android pentetration testing is necessary to find these android app vulnerabilities.
- Insecure data storage (for example, not encrypting the stored passwords or credentials)
- Client-side injection (injection flaws that can be exploited by hackers to exploit server backend database and steal sensitive information from it)
- Broken authentication and session management
How to Conduct Android Penetration Testing?
In android penetration testings, there are manual and automatic approaches. The most common android penetration tests include:
- Reviewing android source code
- Reverse engineering of android apps (to figure out the app’s behavior) and find security issues in them
- Using android debugging tools
- Reversing android apps to find security issues
What are the benefits of conducting android penetration testing?
Android penetration testing is a great way to find out if your android app has any vulnerabilities that could lead to the leak of sensitive information or even loss of money for android users.
Android penetration testings can help developers secure their android apps and make them stronger against future attacks, preventing hackers from stealing data off personal devices. It’s important for android developers to conduct android penetration tests on all new releases before releasing them in the Google Play Store.
Even after publishing an update in a popular app store like Google Play Store, Android Penetrations are still very much relevant because many people download updates using different sources which may not be authorized by official application stores. By conducting android penetration testings after every update, you can make sure that your android app is secure and free of vulnerabilities.
What are some costs of conducting an Android Penetration Test?
Android pen testers usually charge per hour basis for their work. As every application is unique it might take hours to days to completely review your android app. Usually, pay rates can vary between $100-$300 USD depending upon the android penetration test complexity and android app developer experience.
Costs of android penetration testings are minimal, but it might take some time depending on the number of security issues found during android penetration testings. It’s also crucial to hire android penetration testers with the right skills and knowledge of android OS.
Conclusion
So we hope you’ve learned a little bit about what android penetration testing is and why it’s an important part of your digital security strategy. This means that your app could be compromised at any time if it’s not protected with the proper testing measures in place.