Business Should Prioritize Mobile Application Security

Users are more concerned about their data and mobile application security than ever due to more global hacking and phishing attacks. If you look at this from a wider perspective, you’ll know that there are around 7 billion mobile phone users, making mobile app security essential for every business out there. 

According to ASEE, 75% of mobile apps face security vulnerabilities. So, how can you prepare your app to tackle these challenges effectively?  

In this blog, we’ll help you avoid common mistakes and implement strategies to secure your app successfully.

Global Data Regulation and Their Impact on Business Operations

Cyber threats are targeting mobile applications and data breaches have seen a significant 54% increase in the past year. This is an alarming situation for all software developers and businesses to take the initiative and ensure mobile app security standards. Following are the major mobile app security regulations and their impact on businesses.

Aspect	Details	Impact on Business
GDPR – Europe	GDPR requires user consent for data collection and imposes fines of up to €20M or 4% of the revenue.	Non-compliance businesses can result in legal penalties and loss of customer trust.
CCPA –  US	Enable consumers to control their data with the right to opt out of data sharing.	Non-compliance may result in legal action and harm to the brand’s image.
HIPAA – US	Protects personal health information (PHI) with strict privacy, security, and breach notification rules.	requires robust cybersecurity measures, compliance audits, and heavy fines for breaches or non-compliance.
APPI – JAPAN	Governs personal data collection, mandates user consent, and regulates cross-border data transfers.	Demands transparency, cross-border data compliance, and investments in secure data systems.
PIPEDA – Canada	Balances data collection for business needs with individual privacy rights through 10 Fair Information Principles.	Increases accountability, requires privacy policies, and imposes fines for data misuse.

Top Mobile Application Security Challenges that You Should Address

Businesses and organizations are highly dependent on smartphones and tablets. This user base makes it a sweet spot for hackers and cyber intruders to attack your business. Following are the types and examples of mobile app security attacks.

Mobile Malware

Mobile malware comes under the category of viruses, trojans, ransomware, and spyware. These malicious programs take advantage of the loopholes in your mobile application security and attack you from there. According to security experts, an estimated 5.5 million users installed high-risk applications from Google Play Store in 2023. Moreover, the average ransom has increased by 1 million in 2024.

Despite strict security measures from Google, the joker malware slipped into the Google Play Store, pretending to be apps like a photo editor or wallpaper tool. Then enroll the user in unauthorized services, leading to millions of dollars in fraudulent charges across the globe.

Mobile Phishing

It is a popular method of obtaining the user’s data. A study shows that around 82% of phishing websites are designed to target mobile app audiences.

A banking mishing scam targeting mobile users involved attackers sending SMS messages that appeared to be from a legitimate bank, claiming that the user’s account had been compromised. The text message included a link to a fake website that closely resembled the bank’s actual mobile banking site.

When users clicked the link and entered their login credentials, the attackers collected the information and used it to access the victim’s real bank account, often transferring money or making fraudulent transactions.

Side Loaded Mobile Apps

Side loaded are the apps that we install on our devices from another source instead of the authentic store like the Apple app store and Android Play Store or other app stores. It is a convenient way to download mobile apps but attackers take it as an opportunity to inject malicious programs into the apps that users download from 3rd party sources.

According to recent research, around 18% of the users are utilizing side-loaded apps and if you consider the total mobile user, 18% is still a massive number. That means you’ll still have plenty of data.

Platform Vulnerabilities

Android and iOS platforms regularly release updates to fix security vulnerabilities. However, many users fail to update their devices, exposing them to known exploits and giving cybercriminals an easy opportunity to target them. According to Forbes, around 500 million Android devices were unpatched in 2022.

Mobile Application Security Strategies to take in 2025

As we strive for 2025, mobile app security is emerging as a main problem for many businesses that need to be addressed this month. 

Enhancing Compliance

There is a significant emphasis increase on compliance. Central banks and financial regulatory authorities in multiple regions are giving importance to security regulations. Furthermore, app developers are also changing their approach towards security-focused mobile apps.

For Example, applications for digital banking and softPOS must comply with PCI standards, and applications with health data must comply with HIPAA.

Prioritizing User Privacy

Advanced OS versions like Android 15 and iOS 18 are putting a lot of emphasis on user privacy with enhanced privacy features designed to secure user data. These platforms come with features like app permissions, real-time alerts for data access, and reinforced encryption protocol.

For businesses, this entails creating apps that align with these new privacy features while using them to foster user trust. Adopting privacy-focused development methods and implementing clear data handling policies will be essential for maintaining user confidence and adhering to regulatory requirements.

Dynamic Security Models for Adaptive Protection

As threats grow more varied, developers are moving away from traditional static security measures toward dynamic, policy-driven solutions. With server-side attestation, apps can dynamically update security parameters without requiring user involvement or app updates.

This approach enhances tamper resistance by enabling real-time adaptation to emerging malware patterns and modifying allow-list policies.

Encrypt the Source Code 

A recent report from the IP Pro Portal has stated that 82% of the vulnerabilities reside in the source code. That’s why it is highly recommended to encode and encrypt your code to ensure mobile application security. You can also implement code scrambling (when the code is deliberately written in a way that makes it harder for both humans and machines to comprehend) and runtime protection so that it’s harder to breach your code.

Moreover, it’s a standard to sign your mobile application source code during mobile app development. This gives a stamp of authentication to the source code that needs verification every time someone tries to alter or modify the mobile app code.

Implement Data Encryption

Data encryption is a must-have practice to follow in 2025, it is a security method where the information is encoded so that only authorized parties can access it. This will help to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, alteration, and theft. 

Moreover, there are multiple types of encryptions

• Symmetric Encryption: It is used to encrypt and decrypt data using the same key that is mostly on device-level protection. 

• Asymmetric Encryption: It uses two keys instead of one. The first key is a private key whereas the other key is a public key. One is used to encrypt the data whereas the other is used to decrypt the data. The public key is shared with the client, while the private key remains stored on the server, ensuring a secure way for them to communicate. 

Get Secure APIs

Opt for reputable and secure API dependencies, and check them to ensure they adhere to current security standards.

Best Practices for Andriod App Protection

Android apps tend to be more vulnerable to viruses and intruders as we can see that Android has the largest market share among all the other operating systems. lookout mobile security app for Android and Follow the practices to protect your Android app from outsiders.

Encrypt User Data

User data is highly vulnerable and securing the data can make your app secure. You can use AES-256 Encryption on the data that is stored on the system and that is used for communication channels. Apply secure modern technologies like RSA Encryption or Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) to ensure mobile app security.

Strengthen Authentication

Implement 2FA or MFA in your mobile app because one security checkpoint is not enough to provide access to the user. You can introduce biometrics and OTPs for better security. The most effective approach to implementing login methods is to integrate OAuth protocols, especially for applications handling sensitive data, as it ensures secure and seamless user authentication.

Regular Security Patches

Hackers and intruders are constantly trying to find zero days in mobile apps with a large user base and to tackle this, businesses and developers should focus on regular security patches. Updating the firmware and patching the loopholes is a good practice to keep your mobile app secure.

Best Practices for iOS App Protection

Apple iOS app security is crucial for developers to consider and take action to ensure overall security.

Secure User Data with Encryption

Maintaining a high level of data security is critical when handling sensitive information like passwords or credit card details. Use tools such as CryptoSwift to implement AES encryption and enhance hash functions with additional non-standard salt. This ensures that even if unauthorized individuals gain access to the data, it remains unreadable.

Ensure App Integrity

For iOS apps, code signing is mandatory, and Apple rigorously examines this as part of their approval process. Further enhance security by incorporating runtime verification for dynamic link libraries, ensuring your app remains unaltered after development.

Optimize Permissions

Every permission request by the app should have a clear and justifiable purpose. Review your app to eliminate unnecessary permissions, reduce security risks, and build user trust in the app’s handling of their data.

Frequently Asked Questions

How a normal user can protect mobile apps?

Always download the apps from authentic platforms like Google Play store and Apple App Store and enable google play protect and apple advance data protection for better protection.

What is an example of application security?

Different types of application security features include authentication, authorization, encryption, logging, and application security testing

Conclusion

In today’s world, businesses are concerned about the security of their data and to be successful in this modern era, you have to secure your mobile application. Follow the above-provided strategies and steps to secure your Android and iOS apps.