Security Testing

Mobile Backend APIs

Mobile apps talk to APIs. We listen.

Testing APIs that support mobile applications, focusing on certificate pinning bypass, API key exposure, and mobile-specific attack vectors.

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Overview

Mobile applications present unique API security challenges. The client runs on untrusted devices, API keys are embedded in decompilable code, and certificate pinning creates false confidence. Mobile Backend API Testing examines your APIs from the perspective of an attacker with full access to your mobile application, because that's exactly what every user has.

What We Test

Our mobile backend apis engagements cover these key areas:

Certificate pinning implementation and bypass

API key and secret extraction from mobile binaries

Authentication token handling on mobile platforms

Sensitive data exposure in API responses

Server-side session validation

Rate limiting and anti-automation controls

Our Approach

Mobile backend testing combines API security testing with mobile application reverse engineering. We intercept and analyze traffic between your app and servers, extract embedded secrets, and test APIs as a hostile client would.

Application Analysis

Reverse engineer mobile applications to understand API communication patterns, extract embedded credentials, and identify hardcoded endpoints.

Traffic Interception

Set up MITM proxy to intercept API traffic. Bypass certificate pinning if implemented to capture and modify API requests.

Credential Extraction

Extract API keys, client secrets, and other credentials from application binaries. Test whether server-side controls prevent abuse if these are compromised.

API Security Testing

Apply full REST API security testing methodology to discovered endpoints, with focus on mobile-specific concerns like device attestation and session handling.

Anti-Tampering Evasion

Test effectiveness of anti-tampering, root/jailbreak detection, and other client-side security controls that mobile apps often rely upon.

Data Storage Analysis

Examine how the mobile app stores tokens, credentials, and sensitive data. Verify that server-side controls don't trust client-side security.

Common Findings

These are issues we frequently discover during mobile backend apis engagements:

API keys in mobile binaries

API keys or client secrets embedded in mobile applications that can be extracted through simple decompilation. No client-side secret is truly secret.

Bypassable certificate pinning

Certificate pinning implemented but easily bypassed with common tools like Frida or Objection, providing false confidence in transport security.

Excessive trust in client

Server-side APIs trust client-provided data that could be manipulated: pricing, user roles, or business logic parameters.

Missing server-side validation

Validation only performed in mobile app code. Attackers bypassing the app can submit invalid data directly to APIs.

Sensitive data in responses

APIs return more data than the mobile app displays, exposing sensitive information to anyone who intercepts traffic.

Common Questions

Do you test both iOS and Android?

Yes. iOS and Android apps often share the same backend but may have different security implementations. We test both platforms to ensure consistent security posture.

Can you bypass certificate pinning?

In most cases, yes. Certificate pinning raises the bar but is bypassable on rooted/jailbroken devices. We test whether your API security assumes pinning will work. It shouldn't.

What if our API keys are in the app?

They can be extracted. The question is whether your server-side controls prevent abuse. We test what an attacker could do with extracted credentials: rate limiting, IP restrictions, and anomaly detection should limit damage.

Should we not use API keys in mobile apps?

API keys in mobile apps aren't secrets; they're identifiers. Use them for client identification, but don't rely on them for security. Implement proper user authentication and server-side authorization instead.

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