Appdome survey highlights consumer demand for better app security

Appdome unveiled the findings of its 4th Annual Global Consumer Survey of Mobile App Security at the OWASP Global AppSec conference. This year’s survey highlights mobile users' heightened awareness of the increasing threats to security, fraud, and privacy within mobile applications. Users are calling on mobile brands and enterprises to step up their efforts to mitigate these risks.

For the 2024 survey, Appdome collaborated with the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). The survey incorporated questions to gauge consumer alignment with the OWASP Mobile Application Security (MAS) standard, anti-fraud, and other cyber objectives. The results indicate a clear demand from consumers for robust mobile app protections as outlined in the OWASP MAS standard, signalling a global challenge to the mobile industry to enhance app security.

Andrew van der Stock, Executive Director of OWASP, said, “We’re very excited to bring the consumer voice into OWASP’s Mobile App Security standard. Our goal has always been to enable mobile app security and development teams to keep their mobile app protections up to date with industry demands. Knowing what protections global end users expect when they use mobile apps in life and work supports our work to ensure robust mobile app protection for everyone.”

Appdome's 2024 survey extends the feedback gathered from over 120,000 consumers across 12 countries over the past four years. The comprehensive dataset is the largest collection of consumer insights regarding mobile app security, privacy, anti-fraud measures, and other related attack vectors. Given the central role mobile applications play in daily life, the findings underscore the critical importance of mobile app protection in consumer decisions regarding app usage and brand loyalty.

Tom Tovar, co-creator and CEO of Appdome, said, “Cyber professionals work tirelessly to keep applications, networks, transactions, and users safe while Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other attacks increase. Global consumers continue their march upward in recognising the importance of this work, and it’s clear that they overwhelmingly support a broadening cyber, anti-fraud, anti-malware, anti-bot mandate, and higher OWASP standard inside brand and enterprise mobile apps everywhere.”

The 2024 data highlights several significant trends. For instance, 55.3% of consumers now prefer using mobile applications over web-based platforms, reaching an all-time high. Additionally, 63.4% reported using more than six mobile apps weekly, the highest level recorded. A remarkable 99.5% of global consumers now demand total protection in mobile apps, covering areas such as data integrity, storage, transit protection, and defence against malware and fraud.

Social engineering attacks have also left a mark, with 70.6% of respondents either experiencing or knowing someone affected by such fraud attacks. Meanwhile, 83.5% insist on proactive fraud prevention measures from brands rather than post-fraud reimbursements. The importance of security over features is evident, with 87.4% saying that app protection is as important as, or more important than, app features in deciding to use an app. A significant 90.6% evaluate the security claims of a brand before downloading an application.

Consumer scepticism has also risen, with the number of individuals fearing that developers do not prioritise app protection growing by 258%, now representing one in four respondents. Additionally, 94.6% of respondents are willing to become brand advocates for companies that ensure app security, and 53.6% would use platforms such as app store reviews or social media to endorse secure brands. Conversely, 96.7% would abandon a mobile brand that fails to protect their app, with 73.9% encouraging others to do the same.

Alan Bavosa, VP of Security Products at Appdome, said, “It’s clear that consumers are taking mobile brand promises and the emerging threat of AI attacks seriously. AI-based attacks will take mobile app risks to a new level, and mobile brands and enterprises need to change their cyber delivery models to meet the accelerating threat head-on and maintain user trust and engagement on mobile platforms.”