Mobile Reverse Engineering
Mobile reverse engineering is hands-on, engineer-performed analysis of a compiled mobile application — assessing what sensitive information, credentials, authentication artifacts, application logic, or client-side functionality could realistically be extracted or abused from the distributed application. It is manual and tool-assisted work, distinct from and complementary to automated static analysis.
Delivered as part of the Product Security Assessment engagement — Starting at $15,000
Who This Is Built For
- Mobile applications that handle credentials, payment data, health information, or other sensitive personal data
- Teams that need to understand their application's client-side attack surface beyond what static scanning alone reports
- Organizations preparing for an enterprise security questionnaire or app-store review that asks about binary-level protections
- Products where an engineer's manual judgment on exploitability meaningfully changes the risk picture
Typical Engagement Scope
Engagements are scoped collaboratively — this describes typical coverage, not a fixed checklist applied uniformly.
Typically Included
- Static analysis of the application binary (APK and/or IPA)
- Application structure and native library observations
- Client-side attack surface review
- Local storage and API endpoint discovery
May Be Included, Depending on Scope
- Dynamic analysis, where applicable to the platform and artifact
- Certificate pinning and root/jailbreak detection review
- Token handling and authentication implementation observations
Outside This Engagement
- Access to production systems, backend infrastructure, or live customer data
- Any testing beyond the specific, explicitly authorized application artifact
- Exploitation of any kind outside agreed, written scope
Representative Deliverables
Deliverables reflect agreed scope — not every engagement includes every item. See the full deliverables breakdown on the Services hub.
What a Report for This Engagement Looks Like
Structure only — no findings are shown here. Every real report reflects the engagement's actual scope and results.
Executive Reporting
Executive Summary
A plain-language overview of business risk and overall posture, for stakeholders who don't need technical detail.
Executive Recommendations
Strategic, prioritized next steps aimed at leadership, not implementation detail.
Reverse Engineering Findings
Reverse Engineering Summary
A plain-language overview of what manual binary analysis covered and found.
Binary Analysis
Findings from static and, where applicable, dynamic analysis of the compiled application artifact.
Authentication Review
How the mobile application implements authentication and session handling, observed directly in the binary.
Local Storage Review
What the application stores on-device, and how it's protected.
Certificate Pinning Review
Whether and how the application validates the server certificates it connects to.
Sensitive Data Exposure Review
Where sensitive information could realistically be exposed client-side.
Architecture & API Observations
Architecture Observations
How the application's components and trust boundaries fit together.
API Surface Observations
Endpoints and API behavior discovered through manual analysis of the client.
Assessment Process
Discovery
An initial conversation about the application, goals, and constraints.
Scope Definition
Engagement scope, tier, and boundaries are agreed in writing before work begins.
Kickoff
Access, authorization, and points of contact are confirmed with the client.
Assessment
Manual and tool-assisted review of the authorized application, repository, or artifact.
Engineering Review
Findings are validated and prioritized by the engineer who performed the assessment.
Report Preparation
Executive and technical findings are documented with evidence and remediation guidance.
Executive Briefing
Business risk and priorities are presented to stakeholders in plain language.
Developer Walkthrough
Technical findings are reviewed directly with the engineering team.
Optional Validation
A follow-up review to confirm remediation, scoped and scheduled separately.
For the full engineering practice behind every engagement, see the Methodology page.
Common Questions
Scope Your Assessment
Every engagement starts with a conversation, not a purchase.