Mobile applications are becoming prime targets for cybercriminals, and the reason is clear: they store vast amounts of personal data. In fact, approximately 82.78% of mobile apps on iOS — or about 1.55 million apps — track private user information, according to Exploding Topics.

Mobile apps are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks due to various hidden points of entry and exit, such as API calls, background syncing, and push notifications. These weak spots can be exploited before traditional security measures even detect the breach.

Satish Swargam, principal security consultant at Black Duck Software, explains that users often grant broad app permissions without fully understanding the risks. “Most users don’t carefully manage permissions, allowing malicious apps to take advantage of these invisible access points,” he told TechNewsWorld.

Furthermore, legacy security tools often fail to identify suspicious activity until it’s too late. AI-driven fraud can bypass multi-factor authentication, exploit memory bugs, and hijack transactions in real-time.

“AI has fundamentally changed the landscape of mobile security,” said Tom Tovar, CEO of Appdome, a mobile security and integration platform. “It has lowered the barrier for creating and amplifying attacks, making it easier for malicious actors to target consumers.”

AI: A Game Changer for Cyberattacks

AI-powered attacks are making it faster and easier for hackers to compromise mobile systems. Chris Hills, chief security strategist at BeyondTrust, said, “AI trained for malicious purposes can quickly discover and exploit vulnerabilities in a way a human hacker never could.”

For defenders, the rise of AI presents a challenge. “If you’re in the defense business, it’s an exciting time. But for the average consumer, it’s a scary one,” Tovar added.

Mobile App Design: A Security Afterthought

Mobile apps are particularly vulnerable due to the vast amount of personal information they collect. T. Frank Downs, senior director at BlueVoyant, points out that apps have access to everything from location data to financial details, making them a goldmine for cybercriminals.

Chris Wingfield, senior VP at 360 Privacy, also emphasizes that mobile apps are not designed with security in mind. “Apps continuously emit soft identifiers, such as install IDs and analytics payloads, that expose location data and device fingerprints,” he explained. “Attackers don’t need root access; they just need this ‘data exhaust’ to gather sensitive information.”

Tovar further criticized the current security model, noting that it’s more focused on regulatory compliance than fraud prevention. “Mobile apps are a goldmine for attackers because they’re designed to be convenient, not secure,” he said.

Security Gaps in Mobile App Activity

One major issue is that many organizations focus heavily on backend security, leaving endpoints exposed. Kern Smith, VP of global solutions engineering at Zimperium, explains, “Many security schemes concentrate on backend analytics or user behavior, missing threats that happen directly within the app or on the device.”

This leaves gaps that can be exploited for malware attacks, runtime manipulation, and credential theft. Downs agrees that while backend protections are important, they often fail to secure the app itself, leaving vulnerabilities in app logic, data storage, and communication channels.

Wingfield adds, “Most protection schemes still assume that threats are credential-based. But modern attacks often target metadata, like device geolocation and app IDs, which is harvested and exposed immediately—without encryption or auditing.”

Why Server-Side Security Still Dominates

Despite the increasing focus on app security, experts agree that server-side protections remain critical. Jeff Williams, CTO of Contrast Security, points out, “The server side holds data for all users, while the mobile app only holds data for one. This makes the server a much more attractive target for hackers.”

However, there’s a shift toward integrating in-app protection with traditional backend security measures. Eric Schwake, director of cybersecurity strategy at Salt Security, notes that protecting the app itself is essential as cyberattacks increasingly target vulnerabilities directly within the app.

“In-app protection strengthens security by defending against tampering, reverse engineering, and runtime attacks,” Schwake explained. “As the threat landscape evolves, this added layer of security is crucial.”

The Road Ahead

As mobile apps continue to collect more personal data and AI-driven attacks grow more sophisticated, the need for robust, end-to-end mobile security solutions has never been greater. The race is on for app developers to integrate stronger security measures both within the app and on the server side to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting these vulnerable surfaces.