What is Mobile Application Security Testing (MAST)?

Mobile Application Security Testing is a specialized evaluation process that identifies vulnerabilities in applications designed for smartphones and tablets.

This testing methodology examines mobile apps through multiple lenses—analyzing source code, testing runtime behavior, and probing the interactions between the app, the device, and backend systems. Security professionals use these assessments to find weaknesses before attackers do, examining everything from how an app stores sensitive data to how it communicates over networks.

The mobile environment presents distinct challenges that don't exist in traditional application testing. Apps must function across fragmented operating systems, diverse device types, and varying security configurations. They handle sensitive data in environments where users routinely connect to untrusted networks, install other potentially malicious applications, and sometimes jailbreak or root their devices entirely. Testing must account for platform-specific security controls—iOS sandboxing works differently than Android's permission model, and each requires different testing approaches.

Comprehensive mobile application security testing typically incorporates static analysis of the codebase, dynamic testing of the running application, and manual review of business logic and authentication flows. Testers follow frameworks like the OWASP Mobile Security Testing Guide to systematically evaluate common vulnerability categories including insecure data storage, weak cryptography, insufficient transport layer protection, and improper session handling. The goal is ensuring applications meet security requirements before reaching app stores or enterprise deployment.

Mobile application security testing emerged as a distinct discipline in the late 2000s, when smartphones transitioned from niche business tools to ubiquitous consumer devices. The 2008 launch of Apple's App Store and Android Market created ecosystems where millions of users downloaded third-party applications, many handling sensitive personal and financial data. Early security research quickly revealed that mobile apps often implemented authentication poorly, stored credentials in plain text, and transmitted sensitive data without encryption.

The OWASP Mobile Security Project, established in 2011, marked a turning point by creating standardized testing methodologies and documenting common vulnerability patterns. This work led to the Mobile Top 10—a ranking of the most critical mobile application security risks—which provided developers and security teams with a shared framework for understanding mobile-specific threats.

As mobile technology matured, testing approaches evolved beyond simple code reviews. The proliferation of mobile banking, health applications, and enterprise productivity tools raised the stakes considerably. Organizations recognized that mobile apps represented a significant attack surface, often connecting to the same backend systems as traditional applications but with fewer security controls. Testing methodologies expanded to include runtime application self-protection analysis, backend API security evaluation, and examination of how apps handle platform security features like biometric authentication and secure enclaves.

Mobile applications now process transactions worth billions of dollars daily and store everything from health records to authentication credentials. A vulnerability in a widely deployed mobile app can expose millions of users simultaneously, making thorough security testing essential rather than optional. The mobile threat landscape has grown sophisticated, with attackers targeting platform-specific weaknesses, exploiting insecure data storage, and leveraging man-in-the-middle attacks against apps that implement certificate pinning incorrectly or not at all.

Regulatory frameworks increasingly mandate mobile application security. Healthcare apps must comply with HIPAA requirements, financial applications face PCI DSS standards, and apps handling European user data must meet GDPR obligations. App stores themselves enforce security requirements—Apple and Google both reject applications with obvious security flaws, but their automated reviews catch only a fraction of potential vulnerabilities. Organizations deploying mobile apps face reputational risk and potential liability if security weaknesses lead to data breaches.

The complexity of the mobile ecosystem compounds these challenges. Apps must function securely across multiple operating system versions, handle offline scenarios safely, and interact with numerous third-party libraries and frameworks. Each dependency represents potential vulnerability, and the rapid pace of mobile development often means security testing struggles to keep pace with release cycles. Effective mobile application security testing has become a business necessity for any organization distributing mobile apps.

Plurilock's application security testing services examine mobile applications with the depth that modern threats demand. Our practitioners test across iOS and Android platforms, evaluating not just the application code but the entire mobile ecosystem—backend APIs, data storage implementations, and platform security feature usage.

We find the vulnerabilities that automated scanners miss through manual testing by experts who understand how attackers think. Our application and API testing covers mobile-specific attack vectors and business logic flaws, delivering actionable findings that development teams can remediate quickly.

We mobilize in days rather than weeks, working on your timeline to ensure security testing doesn't become a release bottleneck.