How to Hack an App Video Series

How to Hack an App Video Series

Do you know how to hack an app? Well if not, it’s easier than you may think. With just a

few readily available tools, today’s hackers are able to exploit a mobile app in just a

matter of minutes.

So, why are so many apps susceptible to attack? Often times, with so much pressure to

get the app to market, many developers overlook application protection as being a vital

part in protecting their app against hackers. Among the most vulnerable area of attack,

is the application’s binary code. For those who don’t know, binary code is the code that

machines read to execute an application – It’s what you download when you access

mobile applications from an app store like Google Play. Hackers can easily reverse-

engineer an app’s binary code back to its original source code. From there, a hacker is

able to modify security controls, alter run-time behavior, and inject malicious code.

Watch Jonathan Carter, from Arxan Technologies, explain just how easy it is for hackers


to perform the following attack vectors and exploit sensitive user information.


iTunes Code Encryption Bypass

See how easy it is for hackers to bypass iOS encryption to progress a mobile app attack.






Android APK Reverse Engineering




Algorithm Decompilation and Analysis

See how “Hopper” is leveraged to initiate a static, springboard attack for counterfeiting


and stealing information






Baksmali Code Modification
Learn how hackers can easily crack open and disassemble (Baksmali) mobile code.





Reverse Engineering String Analysis
Watch how hackers use strings analysis as a core element for reverse engineering







Swizzle with Code Substitution

Learn how hackers leverage infected code to attack critical class methods of an

application to intercept API calls and execute unauthorized code, leaving no trace with

the code reverting back to original form






Understanding application internal structures and methods via Class Dumps

Learn how hackers use this widely available tool to analyze the behavior of an app as a


form of reverse engineering and as a springboard to method swizzling