Complete Guide: The Ins and Outs of Automated Mobile Application Security Testing

The modern world quickly became mobile-first oriented. Ninety-seven percent of Americans own a cell phone, and most people use their mobile devices to go online to bank, shop, and access personal information. With security threats on the rise (80% of malicious websites now target mobile devices), mobile application security testing has become the number one concern for developers and security researchers.

Both Android and Apple are seeing substantial increases in detected vulnerabilities, requiring more robust security solutions specifically designed for testing mobile apps. Independent threat researchers are identifying zero-click and zero-day vulnerabilities daily.

As the playing field narrows, mobile app security is a critical aspect of modern digital life. With the increasing reliance on smartphones and mobile applications for everything from banking to entertainment, ensuring the safety of user data has become paramount. 

A breach in mobile app security can lead to devastating consequences, including identity theft, financial loss, and damage to a company's reputation. This makes it imperative for businesses and developers to prioritize mobile app security testing (MAST) to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities before malicious actors exploit them.

Automated Mobile Application Security Testing vs Manual

Traditional mobile app security testing (MAST) is a comprehensive set of techniques, procedures, and specialized tools designed to identify and assess vulnerabilities in mobile applications. It involves a manual approach that relies on security experts to examine the app's code, architecture, and functionality. This process typically includes activities such as penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and manual testing of various app features. 

While traditional MAST can provide valuable insights, it can be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and may not be able to cover all potential vulnerabilities, especially in complex or large-scale applications. Manual dynamic mobile app security testing often requires teams to repeat many of the same tasks over and over again. 

Particularly in security and penetration testing, teams create dynamic data within a mobile application and then gather evidence for both data at rest and in motion. After all the evidence has been gathered, the tester scours through that data for sensitive information.

Automated MAST on the other hand leverages specialized tools and techniques to automate many of the tasks involved in traditional MAST. These tools can automatically scan an app's code for known vulnerabilities and perform dynamic testing to identify security issues at runtime. 

Automated MAST can significantly improve efficiency, speed, and coverage compared to traditional methods. However, it's important to note that automated tools may not be able to detect all types of vulnerabilities, especially those that require human judgment or expertise. Therefore, a combination of manual and automated MAST is often recommended to achieve the best possible security coverage. 

Key Features and Benefits of Automated MAST Tools

Automated MAST tools, like the Corellium MATRIX technology, offer a powerful solution for organizations seeking to improve their mobile app security posture. By automating many of the time-consuming tasks involved in traditional MAST, these tools enable organizations to identify and address vulnerabilities more efficiently and effectively. With the ability to scan for vulnerabilities and provide detailed reporting, automated MAST tools are essential for ensuring the security and integrity of mobile applications in today's increasingly complex digital landscape.

Corellium offers state-of-the-art automated mobile app security testing with the powerful MATRIX technology. The MATRIX test automation framework allows for a significant portion of static and dynamic testing, as recommended by the OWASP Mobile Security Testing Guide (MSTG), for both iOS and Android apps to be automated. This can alleviate as much as 75% of the mundane, routine work required of pentesters for every mobile app testing run. 

MATRIX runs hundreds of security tests at the click of a button and can discover vulnerabilities in your mobile apps in minutes. It is focused on automating the comprehensive baseline security tests that lead to the repetitive but necessary work required of pentesters. This routine testing can be extremely time-consuming and difficult for teams to consistently execute, with adequate test coverage. 

MATRIX allows for “automation of the mundane” so that security professionals can focus on the “art” of testing where their expertise shines - advanced and tailored security testing. To learn more about savings and efficiency gains with MATRIX, check out Corellium’s savings calculator.

Explore Corellium’s latest innovation designed to transform mobile security. Dive into Corellium MATRIX™ with on-demand webinars and insights from experts. Unleash new potential in your mobile security testing today.

To learn more about automated MAST tools and what they offer, use the links below:

Corellium’s Automated MAST Tool

Mobile App Security Testing Automation Webinar

The Anatomy of a Mobile Security Pentest

Prevent Mobile Security Breaches Before They Happen

Streamline Your Security Testing with Automated MAST

Quick, efficient mobile application security testing is crucial in any company's development lifecycle. The number one priority is keeping users’ data safe, and automated MAST is the solution.

A significant benefit is the early identification and remediation of issues before the apps are released into the marketplace. This allows you to plug the holes before attackers even know about them.

MATRIX: Corellium's New MAST Automation Technology

The MATRIX™ technology is designed to help you identify and address security issues with your apps early in the development process. This approach reduces the risk of security vulnerabilities in your apps, providing a more secure experience for end-users.

This technology simplifies and accelerates mobile security testing by automating many of the mundane tests required in every app pentest. Aligned with the current OWASP MASTG, this new functionality will allow teams to be more efficient in repeated testing and enable them to focus on more profound and complex vulnerability discovery. 

Once these tests are complete, the results are compiled into an easily identifiable report that allows teams to quickly identify, assess impact, and address potential threats to their mobile applications. Do you want to talk about Automated MAST? Set up a meeting with us today.

FAQs

• Why is automated mobile application security testing important?

More people than ever before are using mobile devices for online activities, potentially putting their data at risk. Attackers know this and are increasingly targeting mobile apps, looking for vulnerabilities to exploit. By automating MAST, organizations can streamline their processes allowing them to stay ahead of emerging threats and safeguard their mobile applications in today's dynamic digital landscape.

• What are the advantages of using automated MAST tools compared to traditional mobile security testing methods

Automated MAST is a quicker, more efficient method of testing mobile apps. It is highly cost-effective and saves time, allowing security teams to focus on more intricate security issues.

• How can I incorporate MATRIX with existing development workflows

Easily. MATRIX is fully integrated with the Corellium platform, and testing is as simple as creating a virtual device, installing your app, and running the tests. You can then review the comprehensive security report and address any issues.

• What types of vulnerabilities can MATRIX detect? 

MATRIX runs a specialized set of automated security checks designed to identify security issues in the app, such as insecure data storage, network communication, authentication, and more. Specifically, we have implemented checks for iOS and Android across seven categories: Authentication, Code, Cryptography, Network, Platform, Storage and Resilience. Each of these checks are designed to identify a specific security issue in the app in accordance with the Mobile OWASP Checklist.

• Does MATRIX cover the entire OWASP MASTG checklist?

Not presently, but Corellium is adding new checks all the time. MATRIX targets comprehensive, baseline security testing that's extremely time-consuming and difficult for teams to execute consistently, and do so with adequate test coverage. This is why we say we eliminate 75% of the mundane, yet critical work to free up your teams for more advanced vulnerability discovery.