Certified Mobile Pentester - iOS

Certified Cloud Pentesting eXpert-AWS

Certified Mobile Pentester - iOS
(CMPen-iOS)

The Certified Mobile Pentester – iOS (CMPen-iOS) exam is an intermediate-level exam to test a candidate’s knowledge on the core concepts of an iOS app security. Candidates must be able to demonstrate practical knowledge to perform static and dynamic analysis of iOS applications to pass this exam.

  • Practical
  • 4 Hours
  • Online
  • On-demand
  • Real world pentesting scenarios
£250

Our Candidates Say it Best

Joshua A.

Joshua A.

Cybersecurity Grad Student @ UMD | Ex-KPMG | CRTP | CMPen | CAP | CMPen-iOS

I'm happy to share that I've successfully obtained the Certified Mobile Pentester (CMPEN IOS) certification from The SecOps Group after passing a rigorous 4-hour practical examination. This exam provided a smooth and engaging experience, significantly enhancing my expertise in mobile application security, specifically in iOS, across various key areas such as iOS Platform Security, Jailbreak detection & SSL Pinning Bypass, Reverse Engineering, and Network Traffic Analysis.

Caio R

Senior Cyber Analyst | Security Specialist | Pentester | CMPen-iOS

With great satisfaction, I share that I have earned my CMPEN-iOS (Mobile Pentest iOS) by The SecOps Group! This journey was challenging, but extremely enriching as there are currently not many iOS certifications on the market while the demand for pentesting in mobile applications is only increasing. The test demonstrated an intermediate/advanced level of maturity and difficulty, requiring dedication and technical knowledge during the 4 hours of the test.

Mani Sashank

Mani Sashank

Lead Security Engineer | Bounty Hunter | CMPen-iOS

This journey has been an incredible learning experience, and I'm thrilled to have expanded my skills in iOS penetration testing. 📱💡 This certification was not only challenging but rewarding, pushing me to deepen my understanding of iOS mobile security. 🛡️🔍 A big shoutout to the support team of The SecOps Group for their unwavering assistance throughout the exam. 🙏 I faced some technical difficulties at the start, but their support team was incredibly kind and efficient in resolving the issues, ensuring a smooth certification process.

Niraj Kharel

Niraj Kharel

Pentester | CRTO | CRTE | CRTP | CMPen-iOS

Wrapping up the week with the Certified Mobile Pentester (CMPen - iOS) certificate. The exam is quite interesting and requires a fair amount of analysis of the iOS bundle. It covers topics such as custom Frida scripts, web views, traffic analysis and SSL, iOS application components, third-party libraries, logical issues, hardcoding issues, binary signing inspection, and much more.

Who should take the exam?

CMPen - iOS is intended to be taken by pentesters, security architects and any Mobile security enthusiast, who wants to evaluate and advance their knowledge in iOS application security.

What is the format of the exam?

CMPen - iOS is an intense 4 hour long practical exam. It requires candidates to solve a number of challenges, identify and exploit various vulnerabilities, and obtain flags. The exam can be taken online, anytime (on-demand), and from anywhere. Candidates will need to download the iOS IPA build and connect to the exam VPN server to set up for the exam.

What is the pass criteria for the exam?

The pass criteria are as follows:

  • Candidates scoring over 60% marks will be deemed to have successfully passed the exam.
  • Candidates scoring over 75% marks will be deemed to have passed with merit.

What is the experience needed to take the exam?

This is an intermediate-level exam. Candidates should have prior knowledge and experience of iOS application pentesting and the associated  tactics, techniques and procedures. They should be able to demonstrate their practical knowledge on Mobile security topics by completing a series of tasks on identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities that have been created in the exam environment to mimic the real world scenarios.

Note: As this is an intermediate-level exam, a minimum of two years of professional pentesting/bug-bounty experience is recommended.

What will the candidates get?

On completing the exam, each candidate will receive:

  • A certificate with their pass/fail and merit status.
  • The certificate will contain a code/QR link, which can be used by anyone to validate the certificate.

What is the exam retake policy?

Candidates are allowed one free retake within the exam fees.

What are the benefits of this exam?

The exam will allow candidates to demonstrate their skills in iOS application pentesting. This will help them to advance in their career.

How long is the certificate valid for?

The certificate does not have an expiration date. However, the passing certificate will mention the details of the exam such as the exam version and the date. As the exam is updated over time, candidates should retake the newer version as per their convenience.

Will you provide any training that can be taken before the exam?

Being an independent certifying authority, we (The SecOps Group) do not provide any training for the exam. Candidates should carefully go over each topic listed in the syllabus and make sure they have adequate understanding, required experience and practical knowledge of these topics.

Learning Resources

Kontra

Free/Paid:free

Type:Training

DVIA-v2

Free/Paid:free

Type:Training

OWASP - MSTG

Free/Paid:paid

Type:Training

OWASP - iGOAT

Free/Paid:free

Type:Training

Security Compass

Free/Paid:free

Type:Training

HackTheBox

Free/Paid:both

Type:Training

Attack and Defense Lab

Free/Paid:both

Type:Training

Exam Syllabus

 

iOS Security Architecture and Permission Model

 

Understanding of iOS Application and its Component

 

iOS Application Pentesting Environment

 

Static and Dynamic Analysis

 

Reverse engineering iOS applications using XCode or Hopper Disassembler

 

Understanding of iOS Application Pentesting Tools, such as Cydia (Cydia external Repo and tweaks), 3utools, Hopper Disassembler etc.

 

Traffic Analysis with Burp Suite and Wireshark

 

Frida, Objection and MobSF

 

Jailbreak Detection & SSL Pinning Bypass

 

Local Authentication and TouchID Bypass

 

Excessive/Insecure Logging and its Analysis

 

Side Channel Data Leakage

 

Error & Exception Handling

 

Memory Management Issues

 

Webview Issues

 

Hardcoding Issues

 

Obfuscation in the Code

 

Misconfiguration of FirebaseDB and Appshot instance

 

Inspection of Binary Signing

 

Analysis of .plist Files

 

Common Security Misconfigurations and iOS Security Best Practices

  • Insecure Permissions
  • Weak Hashing and Cryptography Algorithms
  • Insecure Data Storage
  • Keychain dump
  • Use of Outdated and Vulnerable Technology Components
  • Insecure Coding Practice

Pre-requisite

Host Operating System:

Windows/Linux/MacOS with minimum 8GB RAM (MacOS Preferred).

Physical Device with Minimum iOS Version Supported:

iOS 14 or higher (Jailbroken).

Note: Please make sure you have your iOS pentesting environment ready (Jailbroken Physical Device, Burp Suite, or any similar proxy tool along with Frida, objection and other similar pentesting tools) prior to starting the exam. The IPA build will be distributed via TestFlight.

Sample Question

Evaluate the application’s anti-reversing checks. Which of the following statements is true in the context of the Jailbreak Detection?

  • The Application has a robust Jailbreak Detection implementation.
  • The Application lacks any Jailbreak Detection implementation.
  • The Application has insufficient Jailbreak Detection, which can be bypassed
  • The Application has implemented Jailbreak Detection, and it can not be bypassed