Appthority Unveils Hidden Security Risks Of Top Mobile Apps

PRESS RELEASE

LAS VEGAS, Black Hat – July 25, 2012 – Appthority, The Authority in App Security™, has released its App Reputation Report to cast a spotlight on the hidden behaviors of the top free mobile apps. The report reveals the security issues raised by the “bring your own device” (BYOD) movement, app market fragmentation for developers, popular app categories and the sensitive data that apps can access. Appthority identifies the security risks in mobile apps, helping organizations protect themselves and enabling employees to bring their own devices to work. The full report can be accessed at http://www.appthority.com/reports/Appthority-App_Reputation_Report_July_2012.pdf.

The Appthority Platform™ analyzed the top 50 free apps from Apple’s App Store™ and Google Play for risky app behaviors. App Reputation Report highlights include:

· Both the iOS and Android app market are incredibly fragmented when it comes to developers. Among the top 50 free apps, 92 percent of iOS apps and 66 percent of Android apps are created by unique developers.

· Gaming is the most popular app category overall, making up 50 percent of the top iOS apps and 20 percent of the top Android apps. Gaming also represents the category that has the most access to sensitive user data.

· 96 percent of iOS apps and 84 percent of Android apps have the ability to access sensitive information (ad networks and/or analytics, contact information, calendar details, or location) from the device.

· While gaming apps tend to have more access to sensitive information, a vast majority of business apps used for business, healthcare, and finance also have visibility into that information.

“As employees bring their own smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices into the workplace, they’re introducing new security risks to the enterprise,” said Domingo Guerra, president and co-founder of Appthority. “IT departments used to control technologies used at work. But now, employees are bringing apps from various developers with access to all kinds of data on mobile devices, including business and personal information. With our App Reputation Report, we’re showing the potential vulnerabilities behind the most popular apps. We want to help put IT back in control of securing company data.”

To view Appthority’s infographic on the hidden behaviors of the top 50 free iOS and Android apps, please visit http://www.appthority.com/reports/Appthority-App_Reputation_Report_Infographic_July_2012.pdf

To schedule a meeting with Appthority at Black Hat, please email [email protected].

Follow Appthority on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/getappthority.

About Appthority

Appthority – The Authority in App Security™ helps the enterprise identify and manage the risks hidden in mobile apps. The cloud-based Appthority Platform™ automatically identifies and grades risky behavior in mobile apps including known and unknown malware, new malware used in targeted attacks, corporate data exfiltration, and intellectual property exposure. The Appthority Platform integrates with the enterprise’s existing mobile solutions, adding app reputation and risk analysis capabilities to Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM), Mobile Device Management (MDM), Mobile App Management (MAM) Enterprise App Catalogs, and Enterprise Mobile App Developers’ Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) process. For more information on Appthority please visit www.appthority.com.