Why Improving Mobile App Security Is So Hard
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The Mobile App Threat
A full 82% said increased use of mobile apps represents at least a significant increase in security risk. -
Factors Resulting in Vulnerable Mobile App Code
More than three-quarters (77%) cited the need to rush apps to market, followed by a lack of understanding of best practices (73%), lack of quality assurance practices (68%) and lack of internal security policies (64%). -
Putting Mobile Apps at Risk
65% said mobile app security is sometimes put at risk due to customer demand or need. Cross-site scripting (XSS) is deemed to be a major threat; 54% said XSS through mobile apps will increase in the next 12 months. -
Scope of Mobile App Security Challenge
61% said their organizations will need to address the growing risk of malware-infected mobile apps. Only 29% said their organization has ample resources to do so. -
Level of Difficulty in Securing Mobile Apps
A full 77% said securing mobile apps is hard, versus only 7% that said it was easy. Only 41% of respondents said their organizations have sufficient mobile app security expertise, and only 14% rate their effectiveness as high. -
Use of Tools for Scanning for Vulnerabilities
About a third (33%) admitted their organizations do not scan for vulnerabilities. Yet, 61% said data leakage is a real problem. -
Too Little Mobile App Testing
Less than half said they test apps. Of the 46% that do test, 30% report discovering flaws. -
Frequency of Mobile App Testing
Only 11% of internally developed apps are tested every time code changes, versus 23% for purchased or outsource apps. -
Mobile Application Use Policies
Nearly four in 10 (39%) said employees can use mobile apps on corporate devices, while 55% said they can use them on their own devices. Just over half (55%) report their organization does not have a mobile app use policy. -
The Mobile App Security Budget Mismatch
An average of $34 million is spent annually on mobile app development, but only 5.5%, or $2 million, is allocated to mobile app security. Nevertheless, 60% said mobile app security is a high priority.
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Why Metrics Matter to the Channel While demand for mobile applications is growing at astronomical rates, so too are the security vulnerabilities that affect those apps. Although most companies consider the risks to be significant, just a small percentage of mobile application development budgets is being allocated to securing those apps, according to a survey of 640 IT professionals conducted by the Ponemon Institute on behalf of IBM. Worse yet, only 29 percent of those polled said they have the resources they need to address the issue, and only 14 percent gave high ratings to their capabilities in this area. "For a variety of reasons, companies find it difficult to improve the security of their mobile applications," the study stated. The report recommends frequent testing of mobile apps, ensuring the "rush to release" does not have a negative impact on coding practices, conducting training and education programs for development teams, increasing budgets for mobile app security, and implementing policies and procedures to control employees' risky behavior. For solution providers across the channel, testing and securing mobile applications represents a major opportunity.