iOS File Manager: A Guide to Frida Directory Navigation

Frida is a dynamic code instrumentation tool that allows you to intercept and modify the behavior of iOS apps at runtime. This powerful tool can be used to explore and modify the file system on an iOS device, providing a convenient way to access and manipulate files without the need for a jailbroken device. In this guide, we’ll explore how to use Frida to navigate the iOS file system and interact with the built-in File Manager app. We’ll also provide an overview of Frida’s capabilities and show you how to explore and modify file contents.
First, let’s start by installing Frida. You can install Frida using Homebrew by running the following command in your terminal:

brew install frida

Once you have installed Frida, you will need to pair it with a compatible iOS device. You can pair Frida with your device by following the instructions provided in the Frida documentation.
Now that you have paired Frida with your iOS device, you can start exploring the file system. The File Manager app on iOS provides a convenient way to view and manage files on the device. However, Frida allows you to access the file system directly and modify file contents without the need for the File Manager app.
To access the file system using Frida, you need to find the path to the directory you want to explore. You can use the NSFileManager class to get the path of various directories on the device. Here’s an example of how to get the path of the Documents directory:

NSFileManager *fileManager = [NSFileManager defaultManager];
NSString *documentsDirectory = [fileManager URLsForDirectory:NSDocumentDirectory inDomains:NSUserDomainMask].firstObject.path;

Once you have the path to the directory, you can use Frida to access its contents. Frida provides a fs module that allows you to interact with the file system. Here’s an example of how to list the contents of a directory using Frida:

import frida
import sys
# Attach to the File Manager app
device = frida.get_usb_device()
process = device.attach('com.apple.FileManager')
# Define a function to list the contents of a directory
def list_directory(path):
result = []
iterator = process.enumerate_children('*', path)
for child in iterator:
if child.type == 'file':
result.append(child.path)
elif child.type == 'directory':
result.append(child.path)
return result
# Get the path of the Documents directory
documentsDirectory = '/var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/2A8EFE9E-4CCA-41D1-8A5F-1FF00A115FA3/Documents/'
# List the contents of the Documents directory
contents = list_directory(documentsDirectory)
print(contents)

In this example, we attach to the File Manager app using Frida and define a function called list_directory that enumerates the contents of a directory using enumerate_children method. We then get the path of the Documents directory using NSFileManager and call the list_directory function to list its contents.
Frida also allows you to modify file contents directly on the device. Here’s an example of how to read and write to a file using Frida:

# Open a file for reading and writing
with open(documentsDirectory + 'test.plist', 'r+') as f:
data = f.read()
print('Original data:', data)
f.seek(0)  # Move the file pointer to the beginning of the file
f.write('New data')  # Write new data to the file
f.truncate()  # Truncate the file to contain only new data
print('Modified data:', f.read())

In this example, we open a file called test.plist for reading and writing using Frida’s open function. We then read the original data from the file, write new data to the file, and finally read back the modified data.
Frida is a