When it Comes to Mobile App Security, “Good Enough” Is Not Sufficient

Many organizations assume their mobile apps are protected. They’ve followed platform guidelines and don’t store credit card information. They’re not a bank or healthcare provider, so they believe basic protections are enough. That mindset is not only common, but also increasingly risky.

According to recent research from Enterprise Strategy Group, 93% of organizations believe their mobile security protections are adequate. Yet those same organizations reported an average of nine mobile app security incidents in the past year alone. The consequences include financial loss, legal exposure, downtime, fraud, and lasting damage to brand trust.

The takeaway is clear: in today’s threat landscape, “good enough” no longer is sufficient.

Why attackers still target “low-risk” apps

One of the most dangerous misconceptions in mobile app security is the belief that only apps handling payments or sensitive personal data should be protected. But attackers don’t think in terms of industry or compliance categories. They think in terms of opportunity.

If your app connects to backend services, holds API tokens, contains proprietary logic, or can be used to gain competitive or financial advantage, it’s a target. Many popular apps that seem low-risk on the surface — such as those used for customer engagement, loyalty programs, field service coordination, or even internal tools — have been targeted, not because of the data they hold, but because of what they can expose.

Once a mobile app is installed on a device, it’s outside your firewall. That means an attacker can decompile, study, modify, and/or repackage it. Often, these attacks fly under the radar because they don’t always trigger formal breach notifications or crash logs. Even so, they can impact revenue, reliability, and customer trust.

The limits of operating system-level protections

Mobile operating systems (OS) provide important security layers. They sandbox apps, validate app signatures, and enforce user permissions. But their job is to secure the device and protect the user, rather than defend your unique business logic, brand reputation, or digital revenue stream.

OS-level protections don’t stop reverse engineering. They don’t prevent runtime manipulation or stop an attacker from injecting malicious code. They don’t validate whether the app connecting to your backend has been tampered with or is running on an emulator.

Despite this, many organizations still rely solely on OS-level or homegrown protections. Enterprise Strategy Group found that 40% of companies are doing exactly that. And yet, the cost and frequency of mobile incidents continue to rise.

What modern mobile app protection looks like

The gap between perceived safety and actual risk exists because most organizations haven’t adopted a modern security model for mobile application protection. Protecting an app today requires a multi-layered, proactive approach.

It starts with code hardening or obfuscation and encryption that makes it difficult for attackers to read or manipulate the app. It includes runtime application self-protection (RASP), which allows the app to detect when it’s being tampered with or executed in an unsafe environment. Mobile app security testing (MAST) ensures that vulnerabilities are identified and remediated during development, not discovered post-release.

Equally important is visibility. Real-time threat monitoring allows teams to see what kinds of attacks are happening in the field and adjust their defenses accordingly.

App attestation ensures that only trusted versions of the app running on trusted devices can interact with backend systems. Attestation can be especially critical for teams managing risk and compliance at scale.

These practices safeguard brand equity, protect customer experiences, and ultimately reduce the operational risks of increasingly sophisticated threats. The most resilient defenses are those you build directly into the application, rather than bolting on protection after compilation. Protection should move at the speed of development — and it’s possible to implement without compromising time to market, performance or user experience.

The consequences of doing too little

The risks of under-protecting a mobile app go well beyond traditional notions of data loss. An attacker doesn’t need to steal customer records to cause serious harm. They can degrade app performance, manipulate pricing logic, hijack sessions, impersonate legitimate users, or create fraudulent versions of your app that spread in unofficial channels.

These kinds of exploits can quietly and repeatedly cause real damage, without ever being labeled a “breach.” And that’s why they’re so often overlooked.

Mobile apps are now primary touchpoints for users. They’re central to loyalty, retention, and conversion. When attackers undermine that trust — even indirectly — users churn and revenue suffers, with long-term costs to the business.

Making mobile app security a strategic choice

Most mobile apps today are developed and released quickly. As a result, security often comes as an afterthought. But the pace of innovation and the modern threat landscape demands smarter protection that’s integrated into the developer’s workflow.

Whether your app stores sensitive data or not, it’s still a portal into your business. And if it’s out in the wild, attackers may attempt to exploit it. Being prepared for these types of threats is by far the best way to mitigate them.

Ready to sufficiently protect your mobile app? Connect with a Guardsquare expert today.