Best Mobile App Security Testing Tools for Enterprises

Mobile app security testing tools are like a unified command center for enterprise organizations. They automate the detection of potential threats, standardize testing protocols across agencies, help prioritize risks, and enable rapid response to the most critical threats.

If your organization has several mobile applications developed by multiple third-party vendors, fragmented security oversight and inconsistencies in app development must be commonly observed.

Manual testing is extremely slow when testing hundreds of mobile applications. That’s where automated mobile app security testing tools significantly reduce the testing time with faster vulnerability identification, double up as a QA tool for internal teams, and ensure consistent security measures.

In essence, mobile application security testing tools give your enterprise complete visibility into all the apps under one roof.

Here’s our list of the best mobile app security testing tools, which will help you evaluate your options and make an informed choice.

What are mobile app security testing tools?

A mobile app security testing tool helps close these security gaps across legacy codebase, public APIs, and decoupled microservices. It serves as a single source of truth with an automated testing process, standardized protocols, and severity-based vulnerability reports to identify and mitigate potential security risks and tie loose ends in its security network.

Now that security breaches are increasing worldwide, as more industries adopt modern application architectures and move towards APIs, they threaten various types of critical information, including unauthorized access to user data. APIs are more structured and easier for attackers to work with.

On the other hand, most enterprise organizations outsource security testing, leading to inconsistent security testing practices.

A security testing tool for mobile applications is a centralized platform that future-proofs apps against data breaches, blind spots, complex vulnerabilities, and common issues.

An Appknox study revealed that 95% of the top global E-commerce apps fail basic security testing.

How to choose the best mobile app security testing tool?

Accuracy

Choose an automated mobile app security testing tool with low false positives and negatives.

Ideally, a false positive rate of <1% enables faster remediation and enhances developer efficiency.

The best mobile app security tools for mobile applications deploy comprehensive scanning techniques to reduce false negatives and identify potential vulnerabilities.

Pro tip: The tool should support both native and hybrid applications. It should be able to identify security issues with data storage, session handling, weak authentication, communication security, and inadequate session management.

Ease of use

Tools with intuitive dashboards and straightforward navigation encourage adoption among development and security teams.

For instance, Appknox is highlighted for its easy-to-navigate interface, allowing teams to quickly understand and utilize its features without extensive training.

Pro tip: User-friendly security testing tools can be utilized by stakeholders, including developers, QA testers, and security teams—promoting collaboration. Everyone involved in the development process understands the security implications of their work.

Automation and CI/CD integration

The mobile app security testing tool should integrate with the CI/CD pipeline and your tech stack. This integration facilitates monitoring code changes and enables real-time detection of security issues as they arise.

Integrating security testing tools in the CI/CD pipeline allows for automated security checks at every stage of the development process. Vulnerabilities are identified and addressed early, reducing the risk of security breaches in production environments.

Pro tip: A comprehensive mobile app security testing tool should include a dynamic application security testing tool and a static analysis security testing tool, as well as vulnerability assessment and compliance testing.

Customization

Customizable tools can help prioritize vulnerabilities based on the organization’s risk tolerance and business objectives, enabling teams to focus on addressing the most critical issues first.

Pro tip: Top mobile app security testing tools help prioritize vulnerabilities based on the organization’s risk tolerance and business objectives, enabling DevSecOps teams to focus on addressing the most critical issues first.

Scalability

A scalable security testing tool for mobile applications can handle multiple apps across various platforms, including Android and iOS. It should accommodate increased testing loads without performance degradation.

Reporting

You should be able to obtain a detailed analysis of vulnerabilities' severity and potential threats. You can customize impact indicators based on your organization's priorities and business goals.

Pro tip: The best mobile app security testing tools, like Appknox, provide detailed vulnerability assessment reports with a CVSS score to determine the gravity of the issue, its business impact, and regulatory and compliance issues.

While no system can surpass the human mind, we’ve observed that mobile security automation can help reduce the efforts of security teams (ethical hackers) by nearly 75%.

Read more: How Appknox revamped security processes for an FMCG brand with over 500 apps, leading to substantial cost savings and improved efficiency.

Top 7 mobile app security testing tools

1. Appknox

Appknox is one of the best app security testing tools for mobile applications. It is designed to help enterprises identify and resolve security vulnerabilities throughout the development lifecycle.

With a mobile-first approach, Appknox offers static application security testing (SAST), dynamic application security testing (DAST), and API testing to ensure the apps are secure before deployment. 

As an automated mobile app security testing tool, Appknox integrates with DevOps and CI/CD pipelines. This makes it easier to incorporate security measures directly into the development workflow, minimizing vulnerabilities at the source and improving overall security posture.

Key features of Appknox’s mobile app security testing

Appknox can be integrated with your existing developer tech stack, enabling your security team to work in parallel with the development team.

The standout features of Appknox for mobile application security testing are:

1. SAST

Automated SAST improves the time-to-market by 75% compared to its counterparts. Appknox’s binary-based SAST analyzes compiled code to focus on vulnerabilities in binary artifacts such as APK and IPA files. 

2. DAST

Effortlessly replicate genuine app interactions with Appknox’s automated DAST. The DAST mimics attacker behavior by probing the app's interface and underlying APIs, revealing flaws that static analysis may not detect.

3. API testing

Appknox’s binary-powered API testing offers automated mobile app security testing. The platform conducts automated scans to evaluate API endpoints for common vulnerabilities, such as broken authentication or access controls, insecure data transmission, injection flaws, and misconfigured CORS policies.

4. SBOM

Given the growing complexity of software supply chains, Appknox’s binary-based SBOM (Software Bill of Materials) generates a comprehensive view of all software components included in the application, including libraries, frameworks, and third-party SDKs. Appknox automates the process, ensuring you have access to precise security insights.

5. Penetration testing

Appknox's comprehensive penetration testing helps enterprises uncover critical application risks. By combining manual testing with automated tools, Appknox delivers a thorough assessment that secures an entire application portfolio.

6. CVSS reporting

With a single click, you can get detailed reports with CVSS scores, helping your security team prioritize the most critical issues.

7. Remediation call

Appknox’s cybersecurity experts give personalized recommendations to discover vulnerabilities and mitigate them.

Pros

• High accuracy with <1% false positive
• The mobile-first vulnerability assessment approach
• Testing on real devices, not emulators
• CI/CD integration for streamlined testing and deployment
• 160+ test cases
• 80+ DevSecOps integrations, including JIRA, GitHub, Jenkins Pipeline, Azure Pipeline, etc
• CVSS reports in<60 minutes
• Detailed remediation reports highlighting issues and steps to mitigate them.

Pricing

2. Checkmarx

The enterprise cloud-native application security platform, Checkmarx, helps improve the SLA for identifying and remediating risk. With the suite of AppSec solutions, enterprises get everything they need to secure their applications, from code to deployment in the cloud. This eliminates the need for multiple tools and fragmented workflows to identify and remediate vulnerabilities quickly.

Checkmarx One's key offerings include SAST, DAST, SCA, API security, container security, malicious package protection, SBOM, and IaC security.

Pros

• Integrating AppSec directly into the AI code generation workflow saves developers time and effort.
• The GitHub Co-pilot integration automatically scans generated source code, opens libraries, and identifies vulnerabilities.  

Cons

• Checkmarx’s security testing approach focuses on web and network applications, which may not be ideal for organizations that require mobile app security testing.
• Focuses heavily on static analysis.

Pricing

3. Immuniweb

Immuniweb is a comprehensive platform for testing and securing web and mobile applications. It combines machine learning and human expertise to provide automated and manual penetration testing.

ImmuniWeb integrates into the DevSecOps and CI/CD workflows, delivering reliable security assessments that enhance the overall organizational security posture.

Pros

• Leverages ML and AI insights to detect known vulnerabilities and unique issues arising from function combinations
• Automated and ongoing vulnerability assessments ensure that security checks are always current without the need for repeated scans.

Cons

• The need for managed services may limit control for enterprises with experienced in-house teams.
• Lack of automated tagging can increase administrative effort.

Pricing

4. Data Theorem

Data Theorem’s Mobile Secure offers continuous security testing to find vulnerabilities and data privacy issues within mobile apps (iOS and Android). The platform automates the discovery, testing, and remediation of vulnerabilities throughout the app lifecycle.

The mobile app security testing tool offers active protection for device integrity, a third-party code firewall, code obfuscation, and the ability to observe real-time app traffic attacks.

Pros

• Data Theorem’s Analyzer Engine performs static, dynamic, and behavioral analysis of apps within minutes.
• The Analyzer Engine scans third-party APIs, native code, and SDKs, providing visibility into the software supply chain to detect hidden risks.

Cons

• Heavy reliance on automation may miss nuanced vulnerabilities that require human insight.
• The emphasis on API and mobile app security makes it less versatile than broader solutions that cover additional facets of application security, such as static code analysis or broader DevSecOps integration.

Pricing

5. Veracode

Veracode is a mobile application security testing tool that offers Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), and Software Composition Analysis (SCA). 

The platform supports behavioral analysis for mobile apps. It consolidates results across different testing types, offering a consolidated view of the organization’s security posture and making it suitable for enterprise-level security testing. 

Pros

• Veracode’s SAST leverages binary analysis to identify vulnerabilities in application code, including third-party libraries without access to the source code.
• Veracode’s DAST detects architectural vulnerabilities in running applications, mimicking potential attacker tactics such as probing input fields for weaknesses.

Cons

• Veracode covers web, mobile, and APIs, offering broader security testing across applications.
• Some users report that Veracode’s remediation process can be slower, mainly when dealing with large applications or complex scans.

Pricing

  Custom pricing 

6. NowSecure

NowSecure is an automated mobile app security testing tool that is easy to use through its web interface and APIs or can be integrated directly into your development pipeline tools and code repositories.

NowSecure offers a full depth of coverage with continuous, customizable, and accurate automation to deliver secure mobile apps faster, at scale, and on time.

NowSecure enables developers, operations, QA, security, and all stakeholders to work within their existing toolsets and workflows, enabling enterprises to integrate robust security practices into their development processes.

Pros

• Runs over 600 tests, offering extensive risk identification across multiple security vectors, including encryption, network communication, and authentication.
• GitHub Actions integrates into your code repository to automate security in your mobile app build, test, and deployment pipeline.

Cons

• Despite its comprehensive capabilities, NowSecure requires a robust integration process into existing workflows, which can be cumbersome for organizations with complex environments.
• Integrating the platform with other tools, particularly in DevOps or CI/CD pipelines, may require additional configuration efforts.​

Read more: NowSecure alternatives for mobile app security

7. HCL AppScan

HCL AppScan is a cloud-based mobile app security testing platform designed for modern enterprises with complex, distributed app ecosystems.

It integrates seamlessly into DevOps pipelines, enabling continuous static application security testing (SAST), IAST, SCA, and dynamic application security testing (DAST) within the CI/CD process. This ensures vulnerabilities are identified early, preventing issues from escalating into production vulnerabilities.

Pros

• Provides a broad coverage of security testing for web, mobile, and open-source applications.
• Security teams can manage priorities while testing with customizable policies earlier in the development timeline.

Cons

• Lacks advanced, mobile-specific testing features, especially compared to competitors like Appknox.
• AppScan's complexity might challenge organizations seeking quick and seamless integration with their CI/CD pipeline.

Pricing

At a glance: Top mobile app security testing tools

Mobile app security testing tools: From vulnerability to mitigation

Did you know that manual testing for one app can take up to 5 days?

Considering your enterprise organization has hundreds of apps, manual app security testing by agencies can take years.

The result? Delayed release of new applications and updates.

In a fast-paced market where the time-to-market is critical, mobile application security testing tools like Appknox are the first step towards comprehensive app security.

With <1% false positives, 160+ test coverage, detailed remediation reports in <60 minutes, CI/CD integration with the developer workflow, and on-call personalized support, Appknox is the best mobile app security testing solution to strengthen the application security across the entire app ecosystem.

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

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