Burp Suite: Capture Android Local Traffic

TL;DR

This guide shows you how to capture traffic from your Android device using Burp Suite, even when the app doesn’t connect to the internet. We’ll use a proxy connection and configure your device to route all its network requests through Burp.

Capturing Local Traffic with Burp Suite

1. Install Burp Suite: If you haven’t already, download and install Burp Suite Community Edition (free) or a paid version from PortSwigger.
2. Start Burp Suite: Launch Burp Suite. The default settings are usually fine to start with. Make sure the Proxy listener is running. You can check this in the ‘Proxy’ tab, under ‘Options’.
3. Find Your Local IP Address: On your computer (the one running Burp), find its local IP address. This is needed for configuring your Android device.
   • Windows: Open Command Prompt and type ipconfig. Look for the IPv4 Address under your active network adapter (e.g., Ethernet or Wi-Fi).
   • macOS/Linux: Open Terminal and type ifconfig | grep inet. Look for the IP address associated with your active network interface (e.g., en0 or wlan0).
4. Configure Your Android Device’s Wi-Fi Proxy: This is where you tell your phone to send traffic through Burp.
   • Go to your Android device’s Settings.
   • Navigate to Wi-Fi settings.
   • Long-press on the connected Wi-Fi network name and select Modify Network (or similar, depending on your Android version).
   • Select Advanced options or Show advanced options.
   • Change the Proxy setting to Manual.
   • Enter your computer’s local IP address in the Proxy hostname field.
   • Enter 8080 as the Proxy port (this is Burp’s default).
   • Save the changes.
5. Install and Trust Burp’s Certificate: Android needs to trust Burp’s certificate to intercept HTTPS traffic.
   • Open a web browser on your Android device (Chrome is recommended).
   • Go to http://burpsuite.com. You should see a warning about an untrusted connection.
   • Download Burp’s CA certificate. The exact process varies by Android version, but usually involves clicking a link like ‘Download Certificate’ or ‘CA Certificate’.
   • Go to Settings > Security > Encryption & credentials > Install a certificate (or similar). You may need to set a screen lock PIN/password if you haven’t already.
   • Choose the downloaded Burp CA certificate file. You’ll likely be prompted with several warnings – accept them all.
6. Verify Traffic Capture:
   • In Burp Suite, go to the Proxy tab and then the HTTP history sub-tab.
   • Start using your Android app. Even if it doesn’t connect to the internet, you should see traffic appearing in Burp’s HTTP history. If not, double-check steps 4 & 5.

Troubleshooting

• No Traffic Showing: Double check the IP address and port number are correct in your Android Wi-Fi settings. Ensure Burp Suite is running with its Proxy listener active. Restarting Burp can sometimes help.
• Certificate Issues: If you’re still seeing certificate warnings, try clearing the existing certificates from your Android device’s trusted store and reinstalling Burp’s certificate.
• App Specific Proxies: Some apps may have their own proxy settings that override the system-wide Wi-Fi proxy. Check within the app itself for any network configuration options.