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arXiv · 2606.14165

Security Evaluation of Mobile Banking Applications in Sudan

Abdelmonim Naway
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Abstract

The rapid digitalization of the Sudanese financial sector has precipitated a surge in Mobile Banking Applications (MBAs); however, this growth has frequently outpaced rigorous security auditing. This study provides a comprehensive technical audit of the four most widely used Sudanese MBAs( Bankak, Fawry, Okash, and Sahil )collectively serving a user base of over 1.6 million. Utilizing Static Application Security Testing (SAST) via the Mobile Security Framework (MobSF) and Quixxi, the applications were evaluated against the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS). Findings were mapped to Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers to identify systemic vulnerabilities. Analysis revealed critical disparities in security posture. Bankak, the market leader, exhibited the highest risk profile (12 vulnerabilities), including a critical absence of SSL certificate pinning and unsafe TrustManager implementations, rendering it highly susceptible to Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks. While Fawry demonstrated relative maturity (7 vulnerabilities), a universal failure was observed across all four applications regarding secure random number generation (CWE-330), potentially compromising session token integrity. Additionally, Bankak and Okash were found to utilize deprecated cryptographic algorithms (MD5/SHA-1). Notably, all applications successfully disabled ADB backups, yet 100% retained verbose debugging symbols in production APKs, significantly lowering the barrier for reverse engineering. This research addresses a critical gap in the national fintech ecosystem by providing actionable technical recommendations for developers and a strategic roadmap for implementing "security-by-design" principles across the sector.

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Abdelmonim Naway. 2026-06-12. Security Evaluation of Mobile Banking Applications in Sudan. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.14165

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