Top Mobile App Security Standards to Follow in 2025

Mobile app security standards are the foundation of all effective mobile application security programs. They provide a structured framework for developers and security teams to identify, mitigate, and manage security risks throughout the app development lifecycle. 

The ubiquitous nature of mobile applications has only exacerbated the risk of data exposure and enterprise infiltration as mobile threats become more sophisticated daily.

A recent Zimperium report found that over 83% of phishing sites specifically targeted mobile devices. Application vulnerabilities witnessed a surge in data storage, privacy controls, and app supply chain-related security issues.

To counter the mobile-first attack strategy, mobile app security testing standards-based testing, verification, and certification are critical. These help to ensure consistent predictability, safety, data integrity, and governance. Besides these, they also: 

• Enhance collaboration and efficiency between the DevSecOps teams, 
• Improve the security posture through regular assessments and updates based on the latest guidelines and 
• Speed up release times while safeguarding user trust.

Did you know that with over 255 billion mobile app downloads worldwide in 2023, organizations can't afford to treat security as an afterthought? 

Whether your banking app handles sensitive financial data or a fitness tracker collects personal health information, robust mobile app security testing standards are the foundation of user trust and business continuity.

Let’s look at top mobile app security testing standards that power an organization-wide foundation for managing risk, establishing security standards, and responding to issues.

What are mobile application security standards?

Mobile app security standards are technical security controls and procedures that form the basis for testing mobile apps. These standards are responsible for safeguarding mobile applications against data theft and cyber threats. 

Mobile application security standards are thus the security framework of mobile apps that detail criteria for 

• Identifying and categorizing application security risks,
• Developing secure apps and
• Testing mobile apps for optimum security.
• They also help provide a standard for any other security control in the app environment to protect against vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection attacks and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).

The mobile application security solutions following some of the highly advanced mobile app security standards are generally the ones that are trusted the most by security experts. In this blog, we will explore some of these leading security standards and find out what other key parameters you must consider while evaluating and selecting a mobile application security solution for your business.

Top 5 mobile app security standards in 2025

Let's explore the major mobile app security standards in detail and find out how they can contribute to the safety and security of your apps. 

1. OWASP Standards

The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to mobile app security. It has defined many different app security standards that form the backbone of mobile app security testing today. The top five among them include:

OWASP Mobile Top 10

Trusted by millions, the OWASP Mobile Top 10 acts as a baseline for mobile application security and assists security and development teams in 

• Finding and mitigating vulnerabilities earlier in the SDLC, 
• Improving the quality of their code, and 
• Minimizing security flaws before pushing the app to deployment and production. 

This primary security standard covers important security categories, such as reverse engineering, authorization, authentication, code quality, data security at rest and in motion, and more. Any development team's security checklist must include all of these factors.

OWASP MASTG

Known as the OWASP Mobile Application Security Testing Guide (OWASP MASTG), this one is more of a reference manual than a set of standards. It lays out all the necessary processes to ensure compliance with OWASP MASVS standards (more on them below). 

OWASP API Security Top 10

OWASP API Security Top 10 standards lay down all the necessary protocols for the API security of mobile apps. The latest, published last year in 2023, is a mobile application security standard that aims to address ten significant security vulnerabilities that allow attackers to exploit API endpoints in applications and steal user data. 

OWASP MASVS

OWASP MASVS refers to Mobile Application Security Verification Standard. Think of it as a more comprehensive version of OWASP Mobile Top 10 as it targets all major areas of mobile attack surface, including:

• Cryptography
• Reverse engineering
• Storage
• Authentication
• Network
• Code
• Interaction with mobile OS and other apps
• And privacy controls.

OWASP CycloneDX

CycloneDX from OWASP is a special-purpose app security standard. The full-stack Bill of Materials (BOM) standard ensures security throughout the software supply chain. It includes software bills of materials (SBOM), hardware bills of materials (HBOM), SaaS bills of materials (SaaSBOM), etc. 

2. Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS)

CVSS is a widely recognized standard for rating the severity of application vulnerabilities and determining the urgency of mitigation. Most leading security tools utilize this scoring system to review the severity of detected vulnerabilities and determine the course of action. 

CVSS produces a numerical score highlighting risk severity by capturing the key features and characteristics of the vulnerability. This score can then be translated into low, high, or medium categories. It helps security teams prioritize their next steps and boost remediation and application security risk management measures.

3. Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)

Sponsored and managed by the United States Department of Homeland Security's US-CERT program, CWE, or Common Weakness Enumeration, is a list of some of the most common application security vulnerabilities. Most trusted mobile application security testing tools utilize this community-developed standard. 

CWE enables dev teams to thoroughly understand possible security flaws and, based on that, select the best tools and services for their application security issues and solutions.

CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses

CWE's Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses is a condensed version of more comprehensive CWE standards. Before you begin to test your applications for compliance with CWE, it can be a good start to ensure compliance with CWE Top 25. 

4. National Information Assurance Partnerships (NIAP)

National Information Assurance Partnerships (NIAP) is an IT security program developed by the government to ensure that the government apps align with the security standards set forth by the government and focus on end-customer needs. 

The NIAP outlines application security risk assessment guidelines to ensure that the concerned apps pass the criteria of risk evaluation. Security tools that follow this stringent security standard are often considered one of the most suitable mobile app security testing options.

5. Internet of Security Things Alliance (ioXt)

The Internet of Secure Things Alliance (ioXt) is a significant security program focusing on security and regulatory compliance for connected devices and their associated apps. It consists of more than 300 member companies from several industry verticals like Amazon, Facebook, Google, Comcast, Schneider Electric, and many others. 

The ioXt sets up security parameters for a wide array of devices, such as smart speakers, lighting devices, webcams, etc., and the mobile apps that manage these smart devices.

Challenges faced by security teams in manually checking for compliance with security standards 

A manual approach to checking mobile app security standards would involve: 

• The developer builds the app
• The security researcher manually checks each standard
• Then they would have to identify the gaps, what it entails, and prescriptions, and check if they’ve met them all 

The process is tedious and time-consuming. 

Also, if mobile apps are pushed without checking for vulnerabilities, the ramifications include fines, data loss, and a breach of trust. Let’s look at the challenges in greater detail.

Challenges faced by security teams

Resource intensive

Manual testing is time-consuming and requires significant expertise in mobile security, which can strain resources, especially if the team lacks specialized skills.

False positives/negatives

Without automated tools, teams may encounter false positives during manual testing or miss critical vulnerabilities due to human error or oversight.

Scalability issues

As applications become more complex, manually testing each component becomes increasingly tricky. If not managed properly, this can lead to incomplete assessments.

Lack of standardization

Different team members may take different approaches to testing, leading to inconsistent results and difficulty tracking compliance with established mobile app security standards. 

Ever-evolving threat landscape

The rapid evolution of mobile threats means manual processes may not keep pace with emerging vulnerabilities unless regularly updated with current knowledge and techniques.

Complying with mobile application security standards: The Appknox way 

When you’re a part of an enterprise with hundreds of mobile applications, manually identifying the gaps in the application’s security environment is challenging and time-consuming. 

To simplify mobile app security, Appknox helps security custodians within the organization automate compliance regulation so they can focus on core competencies like developing applications faster and reducing the time to market. 

Appknox’s binary-based security tool is scalable and super-fast. It uses static and dynamic analysis to help you identify vulnerabilities in your iOS and Android applications in <60 minutes.

How does Appknox automate application testing for mobile app security standards? 

Appknox’s built-in dashboard provides a comprehensive report on vulnerabilities that compromise compliance standards, including OWASP, MASVS, MASTG, etc. 

By mapping the vulnerability to the compliance testing standard, Appknox saves your security team critical time. 

The reports can be downloaded in Excel and PDF format, and you can filter out the vulnerabilities that violate one or more compliances.

Furthermore, the CVSS report contains potential vulnerabilities along with remediation notes. 

This is an extension to automated vulnerability assessment, including SAST, DAST, and API testing. 

The Appknox advantage

Appknox pinpoints vulnerabilities with unparalleled precision—enabling comprehensive remediation and improving the application’s security posture. 

TL;DR

Adherence to mobile app security testing standards and best practices allows organizations to enhance collaboration between DevSecOps teams, streamline compliance with global regulations, and reduce time-to-market without compromising security. 

Combining automated testing for rapid vulnerability detection with expert-led manual penetration testing, Appknox delivers comprehensive coverage for over 160 use cases. With features like real-device testing, CI/CD integration, and actionable remediation guidance, Appknox helps enterprises achieve proactive compliance, mitigate risks, and protect their application ecosystems.

Sign up for a free trial to learn more about Appknox’s automated mobile app security testing.

Try Appknox for free