SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!
Need Help? Email [email protected]
  • LOGIN

E-SPIN Group

CONTACT US / GET A QUOTE
  • No products in cart.
  • HOME
  • PROFILE
    • Corporate Profile
    • About us
    • Customer Overview
    • Case Studies
    • Investor Relations
    • Procurement
  • GLOBAL THEMES
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
    • Big Data
    • Blockchain
    • Cloud Computing
    • Cognitive Computing
    • Cyber Security
    • DevSecOps
    • Digital Transformation (DT)
    • Modern Workplace
    • Internet of Things (IoT)
    • Quantum Computing
    • More theme and feature topics
  • SOLUTIONS
    • Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), DevSecOps/VSM, Application Security
      • Application Security
      • DevSecOps
      • Digital Forensics
      • Secure Development
    • Cybersecurity, Governance Risk Compliance (GRC) and Resiliency
      • Governance, Risk Management and Compliance (GRC)
      • Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering
      • Security Information & Event Management (SIEM)
      • Security Configuration Management (SCM)
      • Threat, Risk and Vulnerability Management
      • Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking
    • Modern Infrastructure, NetOps
      • Network Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics (NPMD)
      • IT Operations Management (ITOM)
      • Network Operation (NetOps)
      • Network Management System (NMS)
    • Modern Workspace & Future of Work
      • Digital Workspace
      • End User Computing (EUC)
      • Securing Hybrid Workforce
      • Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
      • User Activity Monitoring (UAM)
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Automotive
    • Banking & Financial Markets
    • Chemical & Petroleum
    • Commercial and Professional Services
    • Construction & Real Estate
    • Consumer Products
    • Education
    • Electronics
    • Energy & Utilities
    • Food & Beverage
    • Information Technology
    • Insurance
    • Healthcare
    • Goverment
    • Telecommunications
    • Transportation
    • Travel
    • Manufacturing
    • Media & Entertainment
    • Mining & Natural Resources
    • Life Sciences
    • Retail
  • PRODUCTS
    • Hidden Menu
      • Brand Overview
      • Services Overview
      • E-SPIN Product Line Card
      • E-SPIN Ecosystem World Solution Portfolio Overview
      • GitLab (DevOps, DevSecOps, VSM)
      • Hex-Rays (IDA Pro, Hex-Rays Decompiler)
      • Immunity (Canvas, Silica, Innuendo)
      • Parasoft (automated software testing, AppSec)
      • Tenable (Enterprise Vulnerability Management)
      • Veracode (Application Security Testing)
    • Cybersecurity, App Lifecycle, AppSec Management
      • Cerbero Labs (Cerbero Suite)
      • Core Security (Core Impact, Cobalt Strike)
      • HCL (AppScan, BigFix)
      • Invicti (Acunetix, Netsparker)
      • ImmuniWeb
      • UBsecure (Vex)
      • Portswigger (Burp Suite Pro, Burp Suite Enterprise)
      • Titania (Nipper Studio)
      • TSFactory (User Activity Monitoring)
    • Infrastructure, Network, Wireless, Cloud Management
      • Metageek (Wi-Spy, Chanalyzer, Eye P.A.)
      • Progress (WhatsUp Gold, WS_FTP, MOVEit MFT)
      • Paessler
      • Solarwinds (IT Management)
      • TamoSoft (wireless site survey)
      • Visiwave (wireless site survey, traffic analysis)
      • VMware (Virtualization, cloud mgt, Digital Workspace)
    • Platform products
      • Adobe (Digital Media Creation)
      • Micro Focus
      • Microsoft
      • Red Hat (Enterprise Linux, OpenStack, OpenShift, Ansible,JBoss)
      • SecHard
      • SUSE (Enterprise Linux, Rancher)
      • Show All The Brands and Products (Full)
  • e-STORE
    • e-STORE
    • eSTORE Guide
    • SUPPORT
  • CAREERS
    • Culture, Values and CSR
    • How We Hire
    • Job Openings
  • BLOG / NEWS
    • Blogs and News
    • Resources Library
    • Calendar of Events
  • CONTACT
  • Home
  • Brand
  • PortSwigger
  • Burp Suite Professional for Mobile Application Security Testing (Mobile AST)
0
E-SPIN
Monday, 22 November 2021 / Published in PortSwigger

Burp Suite Professional for Mobile Application Security Testing (Mobile AST)

Burp Suite Professional for Mobile Application Security Testing (Mobile AST), will be the topic to discuss in depth in this post.

Typical question being asked, can you use Burp Suite Professional for performing mobile applications security testing (Mobile AST)? The quick and direct to the point answer is YES with jailbroken device involved. What you need to do is to configure the mobile device to proxy its traffic via Burp Proxy. After that, you can then intercept, view, and modify all of the HTTP/S requests and responses processed by the mobile application, and carry out penetration testing using Burp Suite Professional in the standard operation procedure (SOP) and they typical way you will with Burp Suite Professional for manual application security testing (MAST).

Successfully intercepting HTTPS traffic from mobile applications can be non-trivial, due to problems setting the necessary proxy configuration, or due to TLS certificate pinning.

Burp Suite Mobile Assistant is a tool to facilitate testing of iOS apps with Burp Suite. It supports the following key functions:

  • It can modify the system-wide proxy settings of iOS devices so that HTTPS traffic can be easily redirected to a running instance of Burp.
  • It can attempt to circumvent TLS certificate pinning in selected apps, allowing Burp Suite to break their HTTPS connections and intercept, inspect and modify all traffic.

Burp Suite Mobile Assistant currently supports mobile devices running iOS versions 8.0 and onwards.

Once installed, Burp Suite Mobile Assistant can be launched just like any other app on your device. Simply tap the app’s icon to get started.

Routing traffic through Burp Suite

Make sure that an instance of Burp is running and that it is network-accessible from your mobile device.

Within Burp Suite Mobile Assistant, you can configure the host and port of the Burp Suite instance that you want to connect to, install the CA certificate from the configured instance, and enable it as the proxy for the device.

You can also run a test to verify your configuration. The test performs the following checks:

  • Network connection – This shows whether the device is able to connect to the given host and port.
  • Burp validation – This shows whether the service listening on the given host and port is an instance of Burp Suite.
  • CA certificate installed – This shows whether the CA certificate used by the configured Burp Suite instance is trusted by the device.
  • Proxy enabled – This shows whether the device is configured to proxy HTTP and HTTPS connections via the given host and port.

Special remark: Changes made to proxy settings by the Mobile Assistant are ephemeral and will be reverted upon reboot. On devices running iOS versions 9.0 onwards, changes made to proxy settings using Mobile Assistant are not reflected in the iOS Settings app. Installation of the Burp CA certificate is not reverted upon reboot.


Burp Suite Mobile Assistant require Jailbroken iphone device

Burp Suite Mobile Assistant needs to be installed onto a jailbroken device due to the nature of its features. Jailbreaks usually install the popular package manager Cydia which can be used to install Mobile Assistant. Advanced users may prefer to obtain Mobile Assistant directly. They can do this by pointing a web browser to Burp Suite’s in-browser interface, e.g. http://[burp-host-ip]:8080/mobileassistant.deb. Although Cydia is not strictly necessary, Mobile Assistant depends on Cydia Substrate.


If you can’t access HTTPS URLs on iOS even after installing Burp’s CA certificate. Solution:

In Burp, go to to the Dashboard tab and look at the event log. If you see a large number of Connection reset or Remote host terminated the handshake errors, the problem may be due to compatibility issues with TLS 1.3.

You can prevent the proxy from using TLS 1.3 by disabling it in the proxy listener settings as follows:

  1. In Burp, go to the Proxy > Options tab.
  2. Select the proxy listener that you use for your mobile device and click Edit.
  3. In the Edit proxy listener dialog, go to the TLS Protocols tab.
  4. Select Use custom protocols, then deselect TLSv1.3 from the list.

If this was the problem, you should now be able to access HTTPS URLs as normal and will see fewer errors in the event log.


Bypassing certificate pinning

Certificate pinning is a technique used by apps to defend against the impersonation of trusted servers by malicious actors. In this context, pinning is a term that refers to the process of authenticating the identity of a host (provided by a remote server in the form of a TLS certificate) against a local, trusted copy of the legitimate certificate. Therefore, a connection with the remote server will only be established if the server can prove its identity by means of a certificate that matches the app’s expectations.

By default, Burp Suite generates per-host certificates signed by its self-signed CA certificate. Although such certificates might be trusted by the device, they will not match the pinned certificate that the app expects. As a result, Burp’s ability to intercept and inspect traffic generated by such apps is undermined by certificate pinning, even when the device has been properly configured to proxy HTTPS traffic.

Burp Suite Mobile Assistant has the ability to inject into other apps and hook into low-level system APIs to subvert certificate pinning, allowing users to intercept traffic using Burp Suite, even when certificate pinning is implemented.

Certificate pinning can be implemented in many different ways, using system APIs, third-party libraries, or custom code. Because Burp Suite Mobile Assistant hooks the low-level system APIs, it succeeds for the vast majority of apps. However, in some cases, successful injection into an app might fail to disable pinning, indicating that an app is performing certificate pinning using custom code.

Special remark: The certificate pinning bypass feature of Mobile Assistant does not currently support iOS version 10 onwards.

Adding injected apps

Items can be added to injected apps list by tapping “Add injected app”. An app will be injected with a certificate pinning bypass if it matches at least one of the entries in the injected apps list.

The add menu shows a list of user and system apps, which can be individually selected to be injected.

Advanced users may want to apply injections to a collection of related apps. This can be achieved by adding an advanced filter. The following types of filter are available:

  • Executable: This will match every app whose executable name matches the filter’s value.
  • Bundle ID: This will match any app that has the specified bundle ID, or has a dependency on a framework with that bundle ID. For example, the filter com.apple.UIKit will match any app with a GUI; the filter com.apple.Security will match all apps.
  • Class: This will match any app that implements a class whose name matches the filter value.

Injected apps list

You can individually enable or disable entries in the injected apps list. Various checks are performed when an item is enabled, and items will be automatically disabled if an error occurs.

You can delete individual items from the list by swiping left on the item, or tap “Delete all” to clear the list.

Special remark: Enabling an injection doesn’t make it take effect immediately. Injection is performed at the time that an app is launched. Hence, an app will need to be restarted if it was already running when it was enabled in the injected apps list. If an app has been successfully injected, a dialog will appear when the app is launched.

Recovering from crashes

The process of injecting into apps and hooking API calls carries inherent risks. For this reason, Cydia Substrate accounts for unexpected situations and can prevent devices from entering a permanent crash state. In the unlikely event that Burp Suite Mobile Assistant should crash and cause problems, please refer to Cydia Substrate’s safe mode.

Write at the end

Note for Mobile application security testing (Mobile AST) for iOS apps with jailbroken devices involved. But for dynamic application security testing (DAST) only, if you look for mobile app static application security testing (SAST), you still need to use a typical static application security testing (SAST) tool. Feel free to contact E-SPIN for advice based on your project in hand or operation requirements.

Tagged under: Application Security, Application Security Testing (AST), Burp Suite Pro, Burp Suite Professional, Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), Mobile Application Security Testing (Mobile AST), Portswigger

What you can read next

E-SPIN Free Technology Training on WhatsUp Gold Application Performance Monitoring (APM) Solution for end user and reseller
Burp Suite Enterprise Edition End User License Agreement (EULA)
E-SPIN Burp Suite Bundled License Subscription Solution
BurpSuite Pro Product Overview by E-SPIN
BurpSuite Pro Product Overview by E-SPIN

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Identity and Access Management (IAM) in Securing Digital Identities and Beyond

    The complexity in securing digital identities h...
  • 5 Things Your ISMS Needs to Be Effective

    IGA solutions in providing better security and governance in the age of digital transformation

    Digital transformation has become a big buzzwor...
  • Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Product Overview Webinar

    Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Product Ove...
  • E-SPIN Seasonal Greeting Happy Ramadan

    E-SPIN Group would like to take this season gre...
  • Cybersecurity Automation and Integration

    Passwordless Authentication: A Pathway to Improved Cybersecurity

    As technology continues to advance and digital ...

Recent Comments

  • JEAN ARIANE H. EVANGELISTA on E-SPIN Wishes all Filipino Araw ng Kagitingan 2022
  • Ira Camille Arellano on E-SPIN Wishes all Filipino Araw ng Kagitingan 2022
  • NKIRU OKEKE on Top 5 Challenges in the Consumer Products Industry
  • Md Abul Quashem on Types of Online Banking or E-Banking
  • Atalay marie on What is Cybersecurity Mesh ?

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • February 2012
  • July 2011
  • June 2011

Categories

  • Acunetix
  • Adobe
  • Aerospace and Defence
  • AppSec Labs
  • Automotive
  • Banking and Financial Markets
  • Brand
  • Case Studies
  • Cerbero Labs
  • Chemical and petroleum
  • Codified Security
  • Commercial and Professional Services
  • Construction and Real Estate
  • Consumer products
  • Contact Us
  • Core Impact
  • Core Security
  • DBeaver
  • DefenseCode
  • DSquare Security
  • DSquare Security
  • E-Lock
  • Education
  • Electronics
  • Energy and utilities
  • Excelledia
  • FAQ
  • Food and Beverage (F&B)
  • GFI
  • GitLab
  • Global Themes and Feature Topics
  • Government
  • HCL
  • Healthcare
  • Hex-Rays
  • IBM
  • Immunity
  • ImmuniWeb
  • Industries
  • Information Technology
  • Insurance
  • Invicti
  • Ipswitch
  • Isorobot
  • JetBrains
  • Job
  • Life Science
  • LiveAction
  • Magnet forensics
  • Manufacturing
  • McAfee
  • Media and Entertainment
  • Metageek
  • Micro Focus
  • Microsoft
  • Mining and Natural Resources
  • Nessus
  • Netsparker
  • News
  • Nutanix
  • Paessler
  • Parasoft
  • PortSwigger
  • Pradeo
  • Product
  • Progress
  • Rapid7
  • RedHat
  • Retail
  • Retina
  • Riverbed
  • RSA
  • SecHard
  • Security Innovation
  • Security Roots
  • Services
  • SILICA
  • Soft Activity
  • SolarWinds
  • Solution
  • SUSE
  • Symantec
  • TamoSoft
  • Telecommunications
  • Tenable
  • Titania
  • Transportation
  • Travel
  • Trend Micro
  • Trustwave
  • TSFactory
  • UBsecure
  • Uncategorized
  • Vandyke
  • Veracode
  • Videos
  • VisiWave
  • VMware
  • Webinar Archive

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

CORPORATE

  • Profile
  • About us
  • Investor Relations
  • Procurement

SOLUTIONS & PRODUCTS

  • Industries
  • Solutions
  • Products
  • Brand Overview
  • Services
  • Case Studies

STORE & SUPPORT

  • Shop
  • Cart
  • Checkout
  • My Account
  • Support

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

  • Industries
  • Solutions
  • Products
  • Brand Overview
  • Services
  • Case Studies

FOLLOW US

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • WordPress Blog
© 2005 - 2022 E-SPIN Group of Companies | All rights reserved.
E-SPIN refers to the global organisation, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of E-SPIN Group of Companies, each of which is a separate legal entity.
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms of use
TOP