Preparing for Your Mobile Application Pentest

Mar 20, 2025 • 3 min read

Getting ready for your first mobile application penetration test? Here's what you need to know about preparing for and working with Halo Security's expert penetration testing team.

Essential Preparation

Proper preparation ensures your mobile application pentest runs smoothly and delivers maximum value. By gathering these key elements in advance, you'll enable our security team to conduct a thorough assessment while minimizing delays. Don't worry if you're missing some items – we're here to help fill in any gaps.

Application Builds

For thorough testing, provide:

iOS: Unencrypted, development-signed IPA file
Android: APK file

Note: Without an unencrypted iOS build, some security tests may be limited. We'll guide you through providing the right build type.

Technical Documentation

While not necessary for a test, technical documentation can help us most efficiently test the environment.

Architecture diagrams showing app-backend interaction
API endpoint documentation
Known security concerns

Access Requirements

Test environment credentials (no production access needed)
Test accounts with various permission levels
Documentation for any custom implementations
Details about monitoring or rate limiting systems

Our Testing Approach

Halo Security combines automated tools with expert manual testing to provide comprehensive mobile application security assessments. Our methodology identifies vulnerabilities that automated scanners alone might miss, while ensuring we understand your application's unique security context. Here's how we approach your mobile application security:

Comprehensive Assessment

Our security team conducts:

Static analysis to find misconfigurations and exposed secrets using open source and proprietary SAST solutions
Dynamic testing of all API endpoints and data flows
Local storage security assessment
Authentication and authorization review
Third-party component evaluation

Clear Communication

You'll receive:

A draft report detailing initial findings
Time to review and begin remediation
Technical guidance during fixes
A final report suitable for compliance and prospects

Common Preparation Mistakes

1. Assuming Production Access Is Needed

While live environments can be fine, a well-configured test environment is typically safer and more flexible for thorough testing. Many teams believe pentesters require production access, but this introduces unnecessary risk. A properly configured staging environment allows you to catch vulnerabilities before they're exposed to potential attackers. It also provides the freedom to test edge cases that might trigger alerts or affect user experience in production.

2. Incomplete Test Account Setup

One of the most common issues we encounter is insufficient test accounts. Effective testing requires accounts with varying permission levels and realistic user data. Without these, critical vulnerabilities in role-based access controls or data handling might be missed. Our friendly Halo Hackers will work with you to identify the account types needed and help set up proper test data before testing begins. We can also help determine which features should be populated with sample data to ensure comprehensive coverage.

3. Missing Platform-Specific Requirements

iOS and Android applications have unique testing requirements that are often overlooked. For iOS, we need unencrypted, developer-signed builds that allow our tools to properly analyze the application. Android has different signing and debugging considerations. Without the right build types, certain security tests become impossible to perform thoroughly. Our team guides you through creating the proper testing builds for each platform, ensuring nothing prevents a complete security assessment of your mobile application.

What to Expect

Understanding the timeline and deliverables for your mobile application penetration test helps set proper expectations and ensures a smooth engagement. Our process is designed to be transparent, collaborative, and focused on providing actionable security insights that improve your application's security posture.

Here's what you can anticipate when working with our team:

1-2 weeks for initial assessment
Immediate notification of critical findings
Support throughout remediation
Comprehensive retest of fixed issues
Final report suitable for compliance requirements