Mobile app defence firm Appdome, have announced the results of its 4^th Annual Global Consumer Survey of Mobile App Security.

The survey reveals that mobile end users are keenly aware of the growing security, fraud, and privacy threats when they use mobile apps and demand that mobile brands and enterprises step forward to provide real defences to these threats.

The arguably most pointed stat from the report states that 99.5% of global consumers demand total protection in mobile apps including mobile app data, account integrity, login, data storage, data in transit, and protection from malware and fraud.

To create the 2024 survey, Appdome partnered with the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) and included survey questions that measures consumer alignment with the OWASP Mobile Application Security (MAS) standard, as well as anti-fraud and other cyber objectives.

The voice of the global consumer was clear – not only do they demand the protections included in the OWASP MAS standard, but the survey data reveals a challenge to the entire mobile industry to improve the state of the art of mobile app protection, globally.

The number of global consumers who fear “developers don’t care” about protecting the mobile app has increased by 258%, topping the four-year survey at 1 in 4 of all respondents.

“We’re very excited to bring the consumer voice into OWASP’s Mobile App Security standard,” said Andrew van der Stock, executive director of OWASP.

He added: “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.”

Mobile applications have taken center stage in consumers’ daily life – 55.3% — the highest level ever— of global consumers say they use mobile applications more than web, dwarfing preference for online/web at 22.5%. Furthermore, with 63.4% — the highest level ever— say that they use more than 6 mobile apps weekly.

This increased mobile activity has been commensurately (what?) by bad actors, with 70.6% of global consumers being, or knowing someone who has been a victim of social engineering or other fraud attacks.

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With this in mind, mobile app protection – consisting of mobile app security, malware defense, fraud prevention, and privacy – is now critical to the way consumers choose and use mobile apps with 87.4% saying that mobile app protection is equally or more important than mobile app features in their decision to use a mobile app, with 90.6% saying they evaluate the security claims of the brand before downloading a mobile app.

“Cyber professionals work tirelessly to keep applications, networks, transactions, and users safe while Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other attacks increase,” said Tom Tovar, co-creator and CEO of Appdome.

He added: “Global consumers continue their march upward in recognizing 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.”