Mobile Internals
iOS and Android architecture deep dives - XNU kernel, Secure Enclave, ART runtime, Binder IPC, and how mobile OSes compare to desktop.
Recommended Prerequisites
These are recommendations - you can start this track at any time.
About this track
iOS and Android architecture deep dives - XNU kernel, Secure Enclave, ART runtime, Binder IPC, and how mobile OSes compare to desktop.
The Mobile Internals track collects 3 modules and 12 lessons into a single ordered path. Each module ends with a checkpoint quiz; passing the checkpoint unlocks the next module so you can track your progress without guessing whether the material has stuck.
You start with "iOS Internals" and finish on "Mobile vs Desktop Comparison". The whole track sits inside the Mobile Security area of the curriculum, so the writing assumes the prerequisites listed above and skips ground that an earlier track has already covered.
What this track covers
- iOS Internals — Understand the architecture of Apple's iOS from the XNU hybrid kernel to the application layer. Explore the Secure Enclave, mandatory code signing, the App Sandbox, Mach-O binaries, and the Objective-C runtime's security implications.
- Android Internals — Explore Android's architecture from the Linux kernel up through the Android Runtime. Understand SELinux enforcement, the permission model, APK structure, the ART runtime's compilation pipeline, and how Binder IPC connects everything.
- Mobile vs Desktop Comparison — Compare the architectures of mobile and desktop operating systems side by side. Understand the key differences in kernel design, memory management, permission models, and update mechanisms that affect security and exploitation.
How the track works
Every lesson is a short page with diagrams, runnable examples, and the kind of edge-case footnotes you usually only find in textbooks. Where it makes sense, the lesson is paired with a CPU simulation or a coding challenge so you can poke at the idea instead of just reading about it.
The lessons themselves are free to read with a free account. The 3 checkpoint quizzes that gate the next module are also free, as are the lesson IDE and CPU simulations. Optional 777-tier tools — the step-through debugger, decompiler, ROP gadget builder, heap visualiser, and exploit labs — sit alongside the lessons but are not required to follow the track from start to finish.
You can jump in at any point. Be Bitwise is built around a free forever curriculum, with no time limits and no expiring access. Pick the next lesson when you have an hour; come back when you do not.