Mobile apps have become ubiquitous in both our personal and professional lives. Most of us make the assumption that if we’re downloading from an authorized app store, such as the iOS App Store or Android Play Store that the apps have been checked for malicious content and are proven safe. Well, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but….
Some of the most popular apps are riddled with vulnerabilities, poor data handling processes and even contain built-in functionality that can compromise your sensitive data or the entire device. Ask yourself, why does my email app need the ability to take screenshots without the user’s knowledge? Why is this business networking app integrating to a China-based platform that gathers unnecessary personal data and then leaves it vulnerable to interception? And why is this financial app accessing the clipboard where OTP’s (one-time-password/codes) are accessible and could theoretically be used to manipulate cryptocurrency transactions? Yes, we’re sorry to tell you that relying upon an approved app store, even for some of the most popular apps, is simply not enough.
App vetting is a critical process for assessing the privacy and security risks associated with mobile applications used by end users. By thoroughly analyzing an app’s permissions, data handling practices, third-party integrations, and potential vulnerabilities, organizations can identify risks such as excessive data collection, insecure communications, and embedded malware. This proactive assessment helps ensure that only trusted and compliant applications are deployed, reducing the likelihood of data breaches, unauthorized access, and privacy violations. Implementing a robust app vetting process strengthens overall mobile security, protects user data, and enhances trust in mobile ecosystems.
According to research from Zimperium’s zLabs team, the growing dependence on mobile applications introduces significant risks that many organizations overlook. Our security research team looked at the top 50 apps from iOS App store and Android Play Store from three different categories: Productivity, Business, and Finance. From this analysis, we identified one app from each category that exhibited a high security or privacy vulnerability score. The findings underscore recurring issues in how even the most widely used apps handle security and privacy, reinforcing the necessity of thorough app vetting in enterprise environments.
It is important to note that the identified security and privacy risks do not necessarily indicate that an app is malicious or compromised. In many cases, permissions and behaviors contributing to an increased risk profile are essential for the app’s intended functionality However, each identified vulnerability expands the app’s attack surface, potentially allowing threat actors to exploit these weaknesses to access sensitive data or perform unauthorized actions without user awareness.
A Popular Email Application: Convenience at the Cost of Security
Our analysis of a widely used email application revealed significant privacy and security issues. The app’s extensive permission – including access to the device’s camera, microphone, and location services – far beyond what is necessary for email functionality. Additionally, the app has unrestricted access to the device’s clipboard, which could expose sensitive data like passwords or confidential information that users may have copied to the clipboard. The app also includes functionality to capture screenshots of the screen, allowing it to monitor all user interactions within the app.
From a security perspective, the app exhibits architectural weaknesses that could put the data on the device and data being accessed, at risk.. Its network security implementation permits connections using outdated TLS versions and lacks SSL certificate pinning (MASVS-NETWORK-1, MASVS-NETWORK-2), leaving communications vulnerable to interception and man-in-the-middle attacks. Additionally, the app relies on MD5 for checksum verification – a cryptographic hash function known to be vulnerable (CWE-327).
Compounding these issues, the application has the capability to dynamically load external binaries and system frameworks. When combined with its excessive permissions and security weaknesses, this creates an ideal environment for potential spyware deployment. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities to inject malicious code, effectively turning the email application into a sophisticated surveillance tool. With access to the camera, microphone, location, and the clipboard, compromised versions of the app could secretly record conversations, track user movements, and harvest sensitive data – all while appearing to function normally. The weak TLS implementation could then be exploited to exfiltrate this collected data to attacker-controlled servers, effectively turning a trusted email application into a corporate espionage tool.
Business Networking Platform: Privacy Concerns and Data Leakage
A prominent business networking application exhibited even more troubling security practices. Most concerning is its integration with the Chinese ad platform Igexin, which has been known to exfiltrate user data to external servers outside your control – posing a significant regulatory and security risk, including potential violations of GDPR compliance The platform’s aggressive data collection practices extend beyond business necessities, gathering extensive location data and device identifiers that could be used for unauthorized tracking.
From a security perspective, the application’s architecture is riddled with vulnerabilities. Multiple components are exported without proper protection (MASVS-PLATFORM-1), essentially leaving doors unlocked for potential attackers. The discovery of exposed API keys in the application code (CWE-798) poses a critical security risk, potentially allowing unauthorized access to enterprise systems and data. Furthermore, the app’s implementation of WebView JavaScript execution without sufficient security controls, introduces further attack vectors..
These vulnerabilities create opportunities for sophisticated social engineering attacks. An attacker could exploit the unprotected exported components to inject malicious JavaScript code through the WebView, creating highly convincing but fraudulent job offers or connection requests. By leveraging the exposed API keys and the app’s extensive permissions, the attacker could make these phishing attempts appear legitimate by incorporating real company data and user information. This attack could be particularly effective in targeting high-value employees, using their own professional network against them to gain access to sensitive corporate resources or intellectual property.
Top financial application: Critical Security Gaps
Our evaluation of a major financial application revealed severe security flaws that could put both financial assets and user privacy at risk. The application’s failure to properly validate SSL certificates is particularly concerning, leaving it vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks that could intercept or manipulate transaction data. Additionally, the app allows external libraries to be loaded from untrusted sources (CWE-494) significantly increasing the risk of code injection and exploitation.
The application also raises privacy concerns. It employs multiple location tracking mechanisms and integrates various analytics libraries that could expose user behavior patterns to third-parties. Of particular concern is the application’s access to clipboard contents, which is especially risky in cryptocurrency transactions, where clipboard monitoring could be used to intercept and modify wallet addresses during transactions.
The combination of these vulnerabilities presents a significant risk for a sophisticated financial fraud attack. An attacker could exploit the lack of SSL certificate validation to intercept the app’s network traffic, while simultaneously using the system-level command execution capability to modify transaction details. The ability to load untrusted libraries could be used to inject malicious code that subtly alters wallet addresses in the clipboard, redirecting transactions to attacker-controlled wallets. Furthermore, the integration of exposed analytics libraries could allow attackers to time their exploits during periods of high transaction volume, making fraudulent activities harder to detect amidst legitimate financial transactions.
Top 50 overview
The vulnerabilities and potential attack scenarios identified in these three applications are not isolated incidents. A broader analysis of the top 50 apps across the Finance, Business, and Productivity categories reveals a significant percentage exhibiting behaviors that weaken security posture.
| Area | Apps with high severity detections | |
| Android | Cryptography | 1% |
| Data Leakage | 13% | |
| Security | 3% | |
| iOS | Cryptography | 13% |
| Data Leakage | 2% | |
| Security | 5% |
While iOS applications generally show a lower incidence of data leakage vulnerabilities compared to their Android counterparts, they present a higher occurrence of cryptographic weaknesses. This highlights a fundamental tradeoff between platforms—while iOS may enforce stricter privacy controls in some areas, cryptographic implementation remains a critical concern.
Zimperium App Vetting: Your Shield Against Mobile App Threats
Zimperium’s App Vetting solution empowers enterprises with the critical visibility needed to assess the privacy and security risks of mobile applications used across their workforce. App risks are not limited to malware alone—everyday applications used for productivity, business, and finance can also introduce security vulnerabilities, excessive data collection, and compliance risks. Without proper vetting, these apps can unknowingly expose sensitive enterprise data or become entry points for attackers.
By analyzing app behaviors, permission usage, data handling practices, and security vulnerabilities, Zimperium helps organizations identify potential threats before they compromise devices or corporate assets. With comprehensive risk intelligence and in-depth security assessments, enterprises can make informed decisions about the applications they allow within their environment. Proactively vetting mobile applications strengthens compliance efforts, reduces data breach risks, and ensures a safer mobile ecosystem for both employees and business operations.
