# iOS Pentesting Checklist If you want to **know** about my **latest modifications**/**additions** or you have **any suggestion for HackTricks or PEASS**, **join the** [**💬**](https://emojipedia.org/speech-balloon/) [**PEASS & HackTricks telegram group here**](https://t.me/peass), or **follow me on Twitter** [🐦](https://emojipedia.org/bird/)[**@carlospolopm**](https://twitter.com/carlospolopm)**.**\ If you want to **share some tricks with the community** you can also submit **pull requests** to **\*\*\[**) **\*\*that will be reflected in this book.**\ **Don't forget to** give ⭐ on the github\*\* to motivate me to continue developing this book. ## Preparation * [ ] Read [**iOS Basics**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting/ios-basics.md)\*\*\*\* * [ ] Prepare your environment reading **\*\*\[**iOS Testing Environment*\*]\(ios-pentesting/ios-testing-environment.md)\\*\*\*\* * [ ] Read all the sections of **\*\*\[**iOS Initial Analysis**]\(ios-pentesting/#initial-analysis) \*\***to learn common actions to pentest an iOS application ## Data Storage * [ ] [**Plist files**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#plist) can be used to store sensitive information. * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**Core Data**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#core-data) (SQLite database) can store sensitive information. * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**YapDatabases**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#yapdatabase) (SQLite database) can store sensitive information. * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**Firebase**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#firebase-real-time-databases) miss-configuration. * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**Realm databases**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#realm-databases) can store sensitive information. * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**Couchbase Lite databases**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#couchbase-lite-databases) can store sensitive information. * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**Binary cookies**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#cookies) can store sensitive information * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**Cache data**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#cache) can store sensitive information * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**Automatic snapshots**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#snapshots) can save visual sensitive information * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**Keychain**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#keychain) is usually used to store sensitive information that can be left when reselling the phone. * [ ] In summary, just **check for sensitive information saved by the application in the filesystem** ## Keyboards * [ ] Does the application [**allow to use custom keyboards**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#custom-keyboards-keyboard-cache)? * [ ] Check if sensitive information is saved in the [**keyboards cache files**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#custom-keyboards-keyboard-cache)\*\*\*\* ## **Logs** * [ ] Check if [**sensitive information is being logged**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#logs)\*\*\*\* ## Backups * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**Backups**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#backups) can be used to **access the sensitive information** saved in the file system (check the initial point of this checklist) * [ ] Also, [**backups**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#backups) can be used to **modify some configurations of the application**, then **restore** the backup on the phone, and the as the **modified configuration** is **loaded** some (security) **functionality** may be **bypassed** ## **Applications Memory** * [ ] Check for sensitive information inside the [**application's memory**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#testing-memory-for-sensitive-data)\*\*\*\* ## **Broken Cryptography** * [ ] Check if yo can find [**passwords used for cryptography**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#broken-cryptography)\*\*\*\* * [ ] Check for the use of [**deprecated/weak algorithms**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#broken-cryptography) to send/store sensitive data * [ ] \*\*\*\*[**Hook and monitor cryptography functions**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#broken-cryptography)\*\*\*\* ## **Local Authentication** * [ ] If a [**local authentication**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#local-authentication) is used in the application, you should check how the authentication is working. * [ ] If it's using the [**Local Authentication Framework**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#local-authentication-framework) it could be easily bypassed * [ ] If it's using a [**function that can dynamically bypassed**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#local-authentication-using-keychain) you could create a custom frida script ## Sensitive Functionality Exposure Through IPC * \*\*\*\*[**Custom URI Handlers / Deeplinks / Custom Schemes**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#custom-uri-handlers-deeplinks-custom-schemes)\*\*\*\* * [ ] Check if the application is **registering any protocol/scheme** * [ ] Check if the application is **registering to use** any protocol/scheme * [ ] Check if the application **expects to receive any kind of sensitive information** from the custom scheme that can be **intercepted** by the another application registering the same scheme * [ ] Check if the application **isn't checking and sanitizing** users input via the custom scheme and some **vulnerability can be exploited** * [ ] Check if the application **exposes any sensitive action** that can be called from anywhere via the custom scheme * \*\*\*\*[**Universal Links**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#universal-links)\*\*\*\* * [ ] Check if the application is **registering any universal protocol/scheme** * [ ] Check the **`apple-app-site-association`** file * [ ] Check if the application **isn't checking and sanitizing** users input via the custom scheme and some **vulnerability can be exploited** * [ ] Check if the application **exposes any sensitive action** that can be called from anywhere via the custom scheme * \*\*\*\*[**UIActivity Sharing**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting/ios-uiactivity-sharing.md)\*\*\*\* * [ ] Check if the application can receive UIActivities and if it's possible to exploit any vulnerability with specially crafted activity * \*\*\*\*[**UIPasteboard**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting/ios-uipasteboard.md)\*\*\*\* * [ ] Check if the application if **copying anything to the general pasteboard** * [ ] Check if the application if **using the data from the general pasteboard for anything** * [ ] Monitor the pasteboard to see if any **sensitive data is copied** * \*\*\*\*[**App Extensions**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting/ios-app-extensions.md)\*\*\*\* * [ ] Is the application **using any extension**? * [**WebViews**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting/ios-webviews.md)\*\*\*\* * [ ] Check which kind of webviews are being used * [ ] Check the status of **`javaScriptEnabled`**, **`JavaScriptCanOpenWindowsAutomatically`**, **`hasOnlySecureContent`** * [ ] Check if the webview can **access local files** with the protocol **file://** **(**`allowFileAccessFromFileURLs`, `allowUniversalAccessFromFileURLs`) * [ ] Check if Javascript can access **Native** **methods** (`JSContext`, `postMessage`) ## Network Communication * [ ] Perform a [**MitM to the communication**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#network-communication) and search for web vulnerabilities. * [ ] Check if the [**hostname of the certificate**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#hostname-check) is checked * [ ] Check/Bypass [**Certificate Pinning**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#certificate-pinning)\*\*\*\* ## **Misc** * [ ] Check for [**automatic patching/updating**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#hot-patching-enforced-updateing) mechanisms * [ ] Check for [**malicious third party libraries**](/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting.md#third-parties)\*\*\*\* --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://chinnidiwakar.gitbook.io/githubimport/mobile-apps-pentesting/ios-pentesting-checklist.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.