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V3 Security Summit: Majority of apps would fail basic security tests

Gartner claims 75 percent do not have business-acceptable security protocols

GCHQ has suggested banning BYOD
Most apps would fail enterprise security tests
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Gartner has warned businesses of the risk of bring-you-own-device (BYOD) schemes, claiming that 75 percent of mobile applications would fail “basic security tests”.

The analyst firm has predicted that, by the end of 2015, more than 75 percent of mobile apps will struggle to pass basic security tests, leaving enterprises exposed to a range of threats – in particular those businesses with BYOD schemes.

Gartner’s claims encompass apps across all operating systems, including iOS, Android and Windows Phone, with the firm saying that none of them have business-acceptable security protocols in place.

Dionisio Zumerle, principal research analyst at Gartner, said: “Enterprises that embrace mobile computing and BYOD strategies are vulnerable to security breaches unless they adopt methods and technologies for mobile application security testing and risk assurance.

“Most enterprises are inexperienced in mobile application security. Even when application security testing is undertaken, it is often done casually by developers who are mostly concerned with the functionality of applications, not their security.”

Zumerle added that existing static application security testing (SAST) and dynamic application security testing (DAST) will need to be modified to address mobile technologies, which are becoming more widely used across the enterprise.

"Today, more than 90 percent of enterprises use third-party commercial applications for their mobile BYOD strategies, and this is where current major application security testing efforts should be applied," added Zumerle.

"App stores are filled with applications that mostly prove their advertised usefulness. Nevertheless, enterprises and individuals should not use them without paying attention to their security. They should download and use only those applications that have successfully passed security tests conducted by specialised application security testing vendors."

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