Hack Your App Before Hackers Do: 2025’s Mobile Pentesting Playbook

Mobile applications are omnipresent – social media and the company to payment portfolios. But most are always open to attack. This manual is your step -by -step tutorial on Pentisting mobile applications in 2025 with code extracts, tool instructions and advice.

Tool configuration

You will find below a quick Android configuration (Linux / MacOS):

# Install ADB (Android Debug Bridge)
sudo apt install android-tools-adb

# Install MobSF (in a virtual environment)
git clone 
cd Mobile-Security-Framework-MobSF
./setup.sh

To decompile an Android APK:

# Use JADX
jadx openexploit.apk -d outputfolder

# Use APKTool
apktool d openexploit.apk -o decompiled

To capture HTTPS traffic (make sure that Burp Suite is installed)

Do you prefer to look instead of reading? Here is a quick video guide

Information collection

Simple recognition on an APK file:

# Show APK permissions
aapt dump permissions openexploit.apk

# Analyze the manifest
unzip -p openexploit.apk AndroidManifest.xml

Check:

• Android: debuggable = “True”
• Exported activities, services and receivers.

Static analysis

Decompile and read the source code for hard coded secrets:

# Using JADX
jadx-gui openexploit.apk

To research:

String apiKey = "openexploit_api_key";

Scan res / values ​​/ thongs.xml, assets / and .So libraries native for secrets.

Dynamic analysis

Intercept API calls:

Use Burp Suite and handle application traffic. Define your proxy and monitoring requests. Look for JWT, session cookies, API parameters.

Go around the SSL pin using Frida:

# Android SSL pinning bypass (Frida script)
frida -U -n com.target.openexploit -l frida-ssl-bypass.js

Example of an extract from Code of Frida-SSL-Bypass.js:

Java.perform(function () {
  var X509TrustManager = Java.use('javax.net.ssl.X509TrustManager');
  var SSLContext = Java.use('javax.net.ssl.SSLContext');

  var TrustManager = Java.registerClass({
    name: 'org.wooyun.TrustManager',
    implements: [X509TrustManager],
    methods: {
      checkClientTrusted: function () {},
      checkServerTrusted: function () {},
      getAcceptedIssuers: function () { return []; }
    }
  });

  var TrustManagers = [TrustManager.$new()];
  var SSLContextInit = SSLContext.init;
  SSLContext.init.implementation = function (keyManager, trustManager, secureRandom) {
    SSLContextInit.call(this, keyManager, TrustManagers, secureRandom);
  };
});

API tests

Use Burp Suite in Fuzz and test the safety of the API.

Bypassing authentication:

POST /api/user/profile HTTP/1.2
Host: www.openexploit.in
Authorization: Bearer [XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX]

• Try the expired authentication tokens
• Remove the token and validate if the final point still works
• Try to ensure the reference of direct object (Changind IDS)

Use curl for API tests:

curl -X GET  \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer authtoken-xxx-xx-xxx-xxx"

See if you can:

• Show other user data
• Change roles
• Launch admin termination points

Local data storage analysis

Pull the data from the Android emulator / device:

# List app packages
adb shell pm list packages

# Pull openexploit app data (only if rooted)
adb root
adb shell
cd /data/data/com.target.openexploit/

Check these:

• Shared_Prefs / – Does any.xml contain identification information?

• Databases / – DUMP SQLITE DBS using sqlite3:

  sqlite3 openexploit.db sqlite> .ables sqlite> select * in users;

Reverse engineering and code injection

Inject into execution using the Objection Frida +.

# Install Objection
pip install objection

# Bypass root detection
objection -g com.target.openexploit explore

# Inside the shell
android root disable

Hanging methods using Frida:

Java.perform(function () {
  var Login = Java.use("com.app.login.LoginActivity");
  Login.checkCredentials.implementation = function (user, pass) {
    console.log("User: " + user + ", Pass: " + pass);
    return true;  // force login success
  };
});

Statement

Write an organized report in Owasp Masvs standards. Here is an example of a report format:

Title: Hard coded key in the source code
Risk: high
Assigned component: openexploit.apk> mainactivity.java
Proof: String Apikey = “xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx”;
Impact: The exposed API key can allow unauthorized API calls.
Recommendation: Place the API keys in a secure backend. Never store secrets in the application code.

You can use tools such as Dradis or Faraday to document the results.

Common mobile vulnerabilities

• Safety storage
• SSL pin
• API authentication
• Exported components
• Hard coded secrets
• Overflowing
• Code injection

Reference to resources

• Owasp Masvs & MSTG
• Frida
• Github mobile security test guide
• Android checkered sheet Pentesting
• Tryhackme

Conclusion

Pentisting mobile applications in 2025 are the most demanding competence for ethical pirates and security engineers. While digital identity evolves towards mobile applications and fed by AI and sophisticated APIs, finding weaknesses is more critical than ever.

Start small. Practice test test applications. And always have legal consent before testing the applications live.