It’s no secret that Apple holds significant market share in the smartphone space. Naturally, millions of applications are developed and downloaded via their App Store as a result. In fact, iOS holds approximately 28% of global market share.
By the end of 2023, over 2.29 million apps and games were available to iPhone users. These users hold and submit personal information within these applications. Therefore, making sure that applications (and thus user data) are secure needs to be a top priority.
If you’re an app developer, then you may have heard of penetration yesting. In the context of iOS applications, penetration testing is a security assessment process that uncovers security vulnerabilities by simulating real life attacks.
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In this guide, we aim to help you understand the importance of iOS penetration testing, its focal points, which techniques are commonly employed and more.
Continue reading to gain a complete understanding of this topic.
What is iOS Application Penetration Testing?
iOS Application Penetration Testing is a process through which security vulnerabilities are both identified and exploited.
The primary goal here is to prevent real life attacks from actually happening. In addition, pen testers aim to identify app vulnerabilities, assess risk level, improve overall app security posture and to ensure compliance with standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS.
To achieve these goals, security experts will test the app’s code, infrastructure, and interactions with its environment.
What are the most common iOS security issues?
According to OWASP’s Mobile Top 10 2024: Final Release Updates, the following is the list of vulnerabilities most commonly found in mobile devices.
- Improper Credential Usage: This is a vulnerability that’s both easy to detect and exploit. Using either publicly available or custom tools, hackers may find and misuse hardcoded credentials (e.g. plain text passwords embedded into the source code) or take advantage of weaknesses arising from incorrect credential handling.
- Inadequate Supply Chain Security: An attacker can exploit vulnerabilities in the mobile app supply chain e.g., during app development due to inadequate security measures. By inserting malicious code or modifying the code during the build process, backdoors or spyware can be inserted into the app.
- Insecure Authentication/Authorization: Apps commonly use some form of authentication e.g. two-factor authentication. After hackers identify the weaknesses of an app’s authentication system, they can work to exploit it using either ready-made or completely custom tools.
- Insufficient Input/Output Validation: Inadequate validation and sanitization of external data sources, like user inputs or network data, can lead to severe security vulnerabilities in mobile apps. Apps that neglect these protections are susceptible to attacks such as SQL injection, Command Injection, and cross-site scripting (XSS).
- Insecure Communication: Mobile devices commonly exchange data via remote servers, usually a carrier network. This can, however, sometimes include both private and public WiFi networks. In any case, if these servers are being monitored or are compromised by hackers then sensitive information can be easy to steal. For example, think sending your password in plain text via texting tools.
- Inadequate Privacy Controls: Privacy controls aim to protect Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as names, addresses and credit card details. This vulnerability is typically a little more difficult to exploit, however, hackers may decide to check areas like the copy/paste clipboard of an iPhone for information like passwords.
- Insufficient Binary Protections: App binaries – or precompiled binary code found in apps – may become a target for hackers. Hackers manipulate binaries to unlock paid features, bypass security measures, or inject malicious code.
- Security Misconfiguration: If settings, permissions, or controls are incorrectly set within an app, attackers can exploit these weaknesses to fairly easily get access to sensitive data, including credentials, personal data, or confidential business data
- Insecure Data Storage: Weak password (and other data) encryption, inadequate data protection and poor data storage practices allows hackers to exploit sensitive information. Threat agents could include hackers, malicious insiders, state-sponsored actors, cybercriminals, script kiddies, data brokers, competitors and hacktivists.
- Insufficient Cryptography: Threat agents exploit weak cryptography in mobile apps to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of sensitive information.
What inbuilt security features does Apple offer for iOS devices?
iOS devices have two major security features
App Sandbox
As all official iOS applications are held in App Sandbox, Apple has made a concerted effort to protect their user’s data, including personal data, payment information and passwords, as well.
Data Protection API
Apple’s Data Protection technology safeguards data stored on devices with Apple silicon, including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Macs. It maintains strong encryption for user data while allowing the device to handle common tasks like incoming calls. System apps such as Messages, Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Photos, and Health data use this protection by default, and third-party apps also benefit from it automatically.
The Importance of iOS Penetration Testing
Through iOS Penetration Testing, ethical hackers are able to make sure that the apps they’re testing don’t have any security loopholes. This way, app owners and developers are ensured that their user’s data – as well as their business – are safe from the consequences of data leaks and data theft.
As things stand, iOS apps are increasingly more difficult to compromise, as they feature complex security layers and frameworks. Nevertheless, engaging in Penetration Testing as a Service or Web App Penetration Testing, is a proactive way of ensuring that customer data is 100% secure and that owners find exploits before actual hackers do.
How do Jailbreaking & Pen Testing go hand-in-hand on iOS devices?
You may have heard of the term Jailbreaking from people trying to regain access to their iPhone after they’ve forgotten their password. It goes beyond that, though. Jailbreaking is all about getting unauthorized access to – in this case – Apple devices, and performing unauthorized tasks such as installing third-party apps.
In order to perform a penetration test on an iOS device, and indeed iOS apps, you need to jailbreak it first. That’s how the two elements relate. In any case, there are a few different jailbreaking techniques, including:
- Untethered jailbreaking
- Tethered jailbreaking
- Semi-tethered jailbreaking
- Semi-untethered jailbreaking
We’ll go into this in a little more detail later on in this guide.
What Areas Does Pentesting for iOS Apps Focus on Most?
There are four major areas that iOS penetration testing focuses on, with all being either server-side or client-side elements. They are as follows:
Network Traffic Analysis
Most applications use clear text transmission, like HTTP, to communicate with servers, making sensitive data vulnerable to theft by attackers.
Error and Debug Messages
While developers may overlook error messages, hackers will find and exploit these in order to gain a better understanding of an app’s architecture.
Local Data Storage
In order to avoid encryption, iOS developers will often use plain text when storing sensitive data. This is a vulnerability known as Clear Text Storage. By exploiting this vulnerability, hackers may expose critical information such as API keys, JWT tokens, and credentials.
Code Tampering
Hackers may alter an app’s code and then distribute it to third-party app marketplaces. In the course of doing this, they’ll turn an app from software into malware.
iOS Penetration Testing simulates all of the above scenarios in order to discover vulnerabilities in your app’s code before real life hackers do.
iOS Application Testing Techniques
Static Analysis
Static analysis aims to identify security vulnerabilities in an application’s source code or binary without executing it. Here the goal is to uncover issues including insecure coding practices, backdoors, hardcoded sensitive information and improper use of cryptographic functions.
Dynamic Analysis/ Runtime Manipulation
Dynamic analysis allows testers to closely monitor and analyze app behavior by running the app in a controlled environment. This technique enables testers to detect potential security weaknesses, intercept network traffic, monitor API calls and capture runtime information.
Jailbreaking
Earlier in this guide, we’ve already explained what jailbreaking is. Below, we’ll cover the various jailbreaking methods that can be employed in iOS penetration testing.
- Tethered Jailbreak: This jailbreaking method involves connecting a real device to a PC whenever it’s booted. It is also a temporary jailbreak, meaning the device will no longer have its jailbreak status if it’s disconnected from the computer.
- Untethered Jailbreak: Exactly the same as above, except that the device won’t lose its jailbreak status when disconnected from the computer.
- Semi-tethered jailbreak: A combination of both tethered and untethered jailbreaks, here the device may function normally even if it’s not connected to a PC. Only some features will be disabled if the device is disconnected.
- Semi-untethered jailbreak: Similarly to the above, the device can function normally without a computer connection. However, certain features may be disabled until the user launches a specific app, reactivating the jailbreak.
Binary Analysis
Through Binary Analysis, penetration testers can reverse engineer an app’s code to reveal hidden functionalities, insecure library usage and cryptographic algorithms. They may also locate potential entry points for exploitation.
App Tampering or Bypassing Security Controls
Testers may disable anti-tampering protections in order to evaluate how easily attackers could clone or modify the app. Once they do so, testers can make unauthorized modifications, such as altering the core binary or resources within the app bundle.
During iOS application penetration testing, testers actively seek to neutralize or bypass the app’s security measures. A primary focus is on disabling anti-tampering protections, which allows testers to navigate the app more freely, search for sensitive data, and escalate their access.
They can also locate and modify properties files by adjusting key/value pairs in plists, including changes to bundle IDs, configurations, preferences, and permissions.
SSL Pinning Bypass / MitM Attack
During iOS penetration testing, a key objective is to evaluate how vulnerable the app’s networking connections and trust mechanisms are when interacting with backend servers.
In a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack, testers can substitute the app’s digital certificate with one from their proxy tool. This manipulation redirects the app’s traffic through the proxy, enabling testers to analyze, modify, or compromise the app further.
Setting up the Environment for iOS Penetration Testing
As with anything else, preparation is important. That means that there are a few steps that need to be taken before conducting an iOS pen test. They are as follows:
- Use physical devices: The best way to simulate real life results is by replicating penetration scenarios using real life devices.
- Practice with vulnerability applications: Did you know that there are tools designed to help you practice-test for vulnerabilities? They have you get it right when it comes down to the real thing. So, try out apps like DVIA-v2 and iGOAT to practice iOS penetration testing.
- Familiarize yourself with the different tools: A variety of tools are available for different types of pen tests. For example, some tools may be better for traffic interception while others may do a better job of helping you with binary analysis.
What’s the iOS Penetration Process?
Step 1: Analysis Phase
In the initial phase of iOS penetration testing, testers examine the application’s architecture and identify the technology stack used in its development. They also gather information using various open-source tools. If white box or gray box testing is performed, the security team is provided with the necessary documentation and resources to conduct the iOS penetration test effectively.
Step 2: Initial Exploitation
During the second phase, the team decompiles the application. They plan their approach for accessing the application and strategize on how to simulate attacks effectively. Concurrently, they deploy automated scanners to identify potential vulnerabilities within the application.
Step 3: Penetration Testing
Here the team begins actively engaging with the application. They launch real-time attacks to observe how the application responds and test the behavior of its components. Additionally, they examine publicly available CVEs for known components to identify any existing vulnerabilities.
Step 4: Reporting
Finally, the team compiles a detailed summary of the attacks conducted and lists the CVEs that were exploited. The report includes step-by-step instructions for reproducing and addressing the vulnerabilities, providing the development team with clear guidance for remediation.
Final Thoughts
The widespread adoption of iOS devices – and thus downloaded apps – highlights the critical need for robust security measures. iOS Penetration Testing serves as a proactive strategy to uncover and address potential vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them. A professional pen testing team can help you simulate real life attacks and discover security vulnerabilities before attackers do.
