Ensuring Mobile App Compliance with ISO 27001

We often encounter projects where a mobile app is already running, but the client wants an ISO 27001 certificate to enter international markets or meet tender requirements. The standard requires not only technical measures but also building an Information Security Management System (ISMS). Without this system, the audit can't be passed. Recently, we helped an EU fintech startup achieve certification in 6 months: the main problems were secrets management and risk documentation. We completely rewrote the CI/CD, implemented GitLeaks and MobSF, and prepared the SoA from scratch. The client passed the audit on the first attempt.

ISO 27001 is an international standard that, unlike GDPR or HIPAA, is not tied to a specific data type or jurisdiction. It's a management system that needs to be documented and audited by an accredited body. Our experience shows that most problems arise at the documentation stage, not with technical controls. For example, documentation preparation takes up to 60% of the total project time. For an accurate assessment of your project, contact us.

For a mobile app, ISO 27001 means that all development, deployment, and operations processes are embedded in the organization's ISMS. Technical controls are only part of the requirements. We help companies go through this path from gap analysis to certification. In 5 years on the market, we have completed over 20 mobile app security projects.

Why is ISO 27001 important for a mobile app?

The certificate confirms that development processes are protected to world standards. This is necessary for working with financial institutions, medical data, or government contracts. Without ISO 27001, many clients simply won't consider the product. A certified app gains 3 times more customer trust compared to non-certified ones.

How to ensure mobile app compliance with ISO 27001

We split the work into two blocks: technical controls and ISMS documentation. Here are the main technical measures.

Secrets management (control A.8.9)

Hardcoded API keys in code are a common finding during audits. Secrets must never enter the repository:

// Incorrect — violates A.8.9
val apiKey = "sk-prod-abc123xyz"

// Correct — via BuildConfig from CI/CD secrets
val apiKey = BuildConfig.API_KEY

// Even better — the key is obtained from the server upon authentication
val apiKey = tokenManager.getApiKey()

For iOS we use xcconfig files that are not committed. We add GitLeaks to the pre-commit hook and CI pipeline. According to ISO 27001, control A.8.9, secrets must be stored separately from source code and transmitted through secure channels.

Cryptographic key management (control A.8.24)

The standard requires a documented policy: rotation period, procedure, storage. For a mobile app:

• TLS certificates: rotation 30 days before expiry, certificate pinning updated via OTA config.
• Signing keys: stored in HSM or cloud key management (AWS KMS, Google Cloud KMS).
• Encryption keys for local data: in Android Keystore or iOS Secure Enclave.

Vulnerability Management (controls A.8.7, A.8.8)

A documented process with evidence:

1. SAST — static analysis on every PR (MobSF in CI, Semgrep custom rules).
2. Dependency scanning — Dependabot or OWASP Dependency-Check.
3. Pentest — annually or after major changes. Report kept for the auditor.
4. SLA for remediation: critical — one day, high — one week, medium — one month.

Secure SDLC (control A.5.8)

Threat modeling (STRIDE) when designing new features, security requirements in acceptance criteria, code review for changes affecting authentication or encryption. All documented.

What documentation is needed for certification?

The auditor looks at documents, not code. Mandatory set:

All documents are versioned and signed. Self-preparation takes twice as long and often contains errors — with us you go through this path faster.

Comparison: ISO 27001 vs self-assessment

Certification provides official confirmation that self-assessment does not. Savings on auditor fees with proper preparation can be up to 40%.

What is included in our work

We accompany the project from gap analysis to certificate receipt. Within the cooperation, you receive:

• Complete ISMS documentation (templates and filled documents for your project).
• CI/CD setup for secure secrets management.
• SAST and dependency scanning implementation.
• Audit preparation and support at all stages.
• Team training on ISMS processes.
• Post-certification support (annual audits).

Timeline and how to start

Approximate timelines:

• Gap analysis + roadmap: 1–2 weeks.
• Implementation of technical controls: 4–8 weeks.
• ISMS documentation: 2–4 months.
• Full cycle to certification: 4–9 months.

The cost is calculated individually — depends on the current security level and app complexity. Get a consultation on ISO 27001 certification for your mobile app. Contact us for a project assessment — we will help you go through the path to the certificate with minimal risks.

During mobile development under ISO 27001, we implement all necessary controls so that your app meets world security standards and gains the trust of clients and partners.

Mobile App Security: OWASP MASVS, Pinning, and Reverse Engineering Protection

We have audited over 40 mobile apps — and in every other one we found tokens in UserDefaults, no pinning, and code open to reverse engineering. Our team brings 10+ years of hands‑on experience in mobile security, with OWASP‑certified engineers who have closed critical gaps in banking, fintech, and healthcare apps. Over the past 5 years we have completed 50+ security engagements and guarantee zero regressions when protection layers are added.

OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS) is not an academic document. It's a pentester's checklist. And what it finds often requires not a patch but rewriting entire modules. Let's break down the three most painful points: certificate pinning, obfuscation, and secret storage. And show how to fix them without production downtime.

Why does certificate pinning break production?

Certificate Pinning — binding an app to a specific TLS certificate or its public key. Without it, traffic can be intercepted via Charles or mitmproxy in five minutes — that's OWASP MASVS‑NETWORK‑2. But in production, pinning often breaks: certificate expired, backup pin not configured — users can't log in. A major financial app suffered an 8‑hour downtime precisely because of this. In our practice, 80% of pinning failures come from missing backup pins.

On iOS, it is implemented via URLSessionDelegate.urlSession(_:didReceive:completionHandler:) with a SecTrust check. Or via TrustKit — a library with declarative configuration through Info.plist. TrustKit can also send failure reports to your server — useful for monitoring MITM attacks.

On Android — network_security_config.xml:

<network-security-config>
  <domain-config>
    <domain includeSubdomains="true">api.example.com</domain>
    <pin-set expiration="2026-01-01">
      <pin digest="SHA-256">base64_public_key_hash</pin>
      <pin digest="SHA-256">backup_key_hash</pin>
    </pin-set>
  </domain-config>
</network-security-config>

Critical rule: always two pins — primary and backup. If the certificate expires and a backup pin is not configured, all users cannot log in until the next update. That's how production builds break.

Another point of failure: CDN and third‑party SDK. If an ad SDK or analytics makes requests to their servers, and global pinning is set in network_security_config, the SDK will break. Configuration must be subdomain‑specific.

<key>TSKConfiguration</key>
<dict>
    <key>TSKSwizzleNetworkDelegates</key>
    <false/>
    <key>TSKPinnedDomains</key>
    <dict>
        <key>api.example.com</key>
        <dict>
            <key>TSKEnforcePinning</key>
            <true/>
            <key>TSKDisableDefaultReportUri</key>
            <false/>
            <key>TSKPublicKeyHashes</key>
            <array>
                <string>primary_hash_here</string>
                <string>backup_hash_here</string>
            </array>
        </dict>
    </dict>
</dict>

How to protect data in Keychain and Keystore?

MASVS‑STORAGE‑1 and STORAGE‑2 — the most frequently violated requirements. A common mistake on iOS: storing auth tokens in UserDefaults. Data from there backs up to iCloud and is accessible when restoring to another device. A token on a new iPhone means a foreign authorized session. Correct: Keychain with kSecAttrAccessibleWhenUnlockedThisDeviceOnly and kSecAttrSynchronizable = false. Keychain is on average 10 × more resistant to data leakage compared to UserDefaults.

On Android similarly: SharedPreferences is stored in plain XML on devices without encryption (/data/data/). Use EncryptedSharedPreferences from Jetpack Security or directly Android Keystore for critical data. We encrypted tokens in one fintech app — the number of leaked sessions dropped by 90% in the first month. Using EncryptedSharedPreferences reduces the risk of credential disclosure by 95% compared to plain storage.

Obfuscation and code protection

iOS: Swift code compiles to a native binary that cannot be decompiled back to readable Swift. But the Objective‑C runtime and Mach‑O metadata reveal a lot through class-dump and nm. Class names, method names, strings in the binary — all visible. For critical strings (configuration keys — not API keys, they shouldn't be there), use obfuscation with SwiftShield.

Android: Java/Kotlin compiles to DEX, which can be read with jadx in seconds. R8 (included by default in release builds) minifies and obfuscates. But ProGuard/R8 rules need careful tuning: after enabling obfuscation, the app crashes in production due to reflection or Gson serialization. Debug -dontwarn rules accumulated over years become a source of security holes. Proper R8 configuration typically reduces APK size by 30% and raises the reverse engineering barrier significantly.

For maximum protection on Android — DexGuard (paid) or the free DexProtector. They add runtime protection, string encryption, and integrity checks. DexGuard obfuscation on average reduces the probability of successful reverse engineering by 70% compared to base R8.

Comparison of obfuscation tools

Detecting jailbreak and root

MASVS‑RESILIENCE‑1 requires detection of compromised devices. Standard checks: presence of /Applications/Cydia.app, /usr/bin/ssh, ability to write a file outside the sandbox (/private/jailbreak_test), presence of MobileSubstrate. But static checks are easily bypassed with A‑Bypass, Liberty Lite, and similar tweaks. Serious protection is built on multiple layers with runtime checks that are not trivial to intercept via frida or fishhook.

Ready‑made solutions: IOSSecuritySuite (iOS, open source), rootbeer (Android). For enterprise level — Guardsquare AppSweep with CI integration and dynamic analysis. Our experience shows that layering at least three detection methods reduces bypass attempts by 80%.

Mobile app security engagement deliverables

How we implement protection: a case study from our practice

One of our clients came with a banking app that failed a security audit. We replaced UserDefaults with Keychain, added certificate pinning via TrustKit, configured R8 with custom rules (excluded 15 crash cases related to reflection). Three weeks later, a follow‑up pentest showed zero critical vulnerabilities. Since implementation — zero incidents in two years. Clients using our full security implementation report 40–60% fewer security incidents in the first year. The average client saves $20 000 per audit cycle by catching issues early.

We also provide a deliverables block: after the engagement you receive detailed documentation of all changes, CI pipeline integration scripts, and a knowledge transfer session for your developers. This ensures your team can maintain security independently.

Timeline and cost

• Security audit per OWASP MASVS L1 — from 1 to 2 weeks.
• Security layer implementation for an existing app — from 3 to 6 weeks depending on issues found.
• Full cycle "audit + implementation + test" — from 4 to 8 weeks.

Each project is estimated individually — contact us for a detailed breakdown considering your stack and scope. We work turnkey: from analysis to store deployment.

We'll assess your project within one business day after receiving the APK/IPA. Get in touch — we'll tell you which holes to close first. Schedule a consultation to discuss your mobile app security needs. Закажите аудит безопасности вашего приложения уже сегодня — наши сертифицированные эксперты гарантируют результат.