What are mobile application security standards? 

Mobile application security standards are the rules and guidelines for technical security that are used to test mobile apps. They make it possible to protect mobile apps from cyber dangers and data theft. 

Mobile app sec standards are the rules for making sure that mobile apps are safe. They include ways to find and group application security risks, make sure that secure apps are made, test apps to make sure they are as safe as possible, and set a standard for all other security controls in the app environment to keep vulnerabilities like SQL injection attacks and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) from happening. 

Therefore, mobile app security standards are the framework for mobile app security that specify requirements for  

1. Identifying and classifying application security threats,  
   
   
2. Creating safe applications,
   
   
3. Testing mobile apps for maximum security,
   
   
4. Establishing a standard for any additional security controls in the app environment to guard against vulnerabilities like Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and SQL injection attacks. 

The mobile app security options that follow some of the most advanced mobile app security standards are usually the ones that security experts trust the most. 

This blog post will talk about some of these important security standards and other important things you need to think about when looking for a mobile app security option for your business. 

Quixxi automates mobile app security testing by scanning apps (static & dynamic) mapping results to standards like OWASP MASVS, running tests automatically in CI/CD and providing instant reports with fixes. It also auto-shields apps against threats, ensuring compliance and security without manual effort. 

In this blog, we will examine a few of these industry-leading security standards and identify additional crucial factors to consider when assessing and choosing a mobile application security solution for your company. 

Top 5 mobile app security standards in 2026

Let’s take a closer look at the main security guidelines for mobile apps and see how they may help keep your apps safe and secure.

1. Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)

OWASP Guidelines Mobile app security is the focus of the non-profit Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). It has established numerous app security standards that serve as the foundation for modern mobile app security assessment. The following are the top five of them: 

The Top 10 OWASP Mobile 

Millions of people trust the OWASP Mobile Top 10, which serves as a baseline for mobile application security and helps development and security teams:  

1.  identify and address vulnerabilities early in the software development life cycle (SDLC). 
   
   
2. enhance the quality of their code,
   
   
3. reduce security flaws before releasing the app to production and deployment.  
    

Reverse engineering, authorisation, authentication, code quality, data security at rest and in motion, and other crucial security areas are covered by this core security standard. All these elements need to be on any development team’s security checklist. 

The OWASP Mobile Top 10 outlines the most critical risks in mobile apps, including insecure authentication, data storage, cryptography, and platform misuse. 

• Quixxi Scan performs both static and dynamic analysis to uncover vulnerabilities like improper SSL handling, sensitive data leaks, insecure services, and clear text data flows. 

• It maps finding to the OWASP Mobile Top 10, providing compliance aligned scoring and tailored remediation plans. 

• Quixxi Shield enhances security with encrypted strings, method obfuscation, and runtime protections that deter reverse engineering, tampering, and unauthorised access. 

OWASP MASTG  

Known as the OWASP Mobile Application Security Testing Guide (OWASP MASTG), this one is more of a reference manual than a set of standards. It lays out all the necessary processes to ensure compliance with OWASP MASVS standards (more below). 

OWASP API Security Top 10  

The OWASP API Security Top 10 standards lay out all the necessary protocols for the API security of mobile apps. The latest, published in 2023, is a mobile application security standard that aims to address ten significant security vulnerabilities that allow attackers to exploit API endpoints in applications and steal user data. 

OWASP MASV 

The Mobile Application Security Verification Standard is known as OWASP MASVS. Since it covers every significant area of the mobile attack surface, consider it a more thorough version of the OWASP Mobile Top 10.  

•  Cryptography that is broken  

•  The process of reverse engineering  

•  Authentication of Storage  

• Code for Networks  

• Communication with other apps and mobile operating systems  

•  As well as privacy controls. 

OWASP CycloneDX  

One of OWASP’s special-purpose app security standards is CycloneDX. Security is guaranteed across the software supply chain via the full-stack Bill of Materials (BOM) standard. SaaS bills of materials (SaaSBOM), hardware bills of materials (HBOM), software bills of materials (SBOM), and so forth are included. 

2.Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS)

A well-known standard for assessing the seriousness of application vulnerabilities and figuring out how quickly they should be fixed is CVSS. This rating system is used by most top security tools to assess the seriousness of vulnerabilities found and decide on the best course of action. To generate a numerical score that emphasises the risk severity, CVSS gathers the essential attributes and traits of the vulnerability. After then, this score might be classified as low, high, or medium. It improves remediation and application security risk management procedures and assists security teams in setting priorities for their future actions. 

3. Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)

The US Department of Homeland Security’s US-CERT programme sponsors and maintains a list of some of the most prevalent application security flaws known as CWE, or Common Weakness Enumeration. This community-developed standard is used by most reliable mobile application security testing tools. Developer teams may choose the finest tools and services for their application security problems and solutions by using CWE to fully comprehend potential security weaknesses. 

4. National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) 

The government created the National Information Assurance Partnerships (NIAP) IT security programme to make sure that government apps adhere to security guidelines and prioritise end-user requirements. To make sure that the relevant apps meet the risk evaluation requirements, the NIAP provides guidelines for application security risk assessment. Security solutions that adhere to this strict requirement are frequently regarded as some of the best choices for mobile app security testing. 

Although not always top of mind, NIAP standards are critical for high-security apps, especially those in government or defense sectors.  

Quixxi’s rigorous scanning and runtime protections align well with NIAP’s focus on evaluation and assurance ensuring apps can meet stringent certification requirements where needed. 

5.Internet of Security Things Alliance (IoXT)  

One important security initiative that concentrates on security and regulatory compliance for connected devices and the apps that go with them is the Internet of Secure Things Alliance (ioXT). More than 300 businesses from a variety of industry verticals are members, including Comcast, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Schneider Electric, and many more. The ioXT configures security settings for a variety of gadgets, including cameras, smart speakers, lighting controls, and mobile apps that control these gadgets.

 

Challenges faced by security teams in manually checking for compliance with security standards   

The difficulties security teams encounter while manually verifying adherence to security standards  
Verifying mobile app security standards manually would entail:  

1. The app is created by the developer.  
2. Each standard is manually examined by the security researcher.  
3. After that, they would have to determine the gaps, their contents, and any prescriptions, then verify that they have fulfilled them all.  
   It’s a time-consuming and tedious process. Additionally, there are consequences such as penalties, data loss, and a breach of confidence if mobile apps are launched without being checked for vulnerabilities. Let’s take a closer look at the difficulties.

What tools or techniques do we use to keep apps secure? 

Quixxi uses advanced app shielding, code obfuscation, data encryption, secure storage, API protection and Multi Factor Authentication (MFA). These layers protect apps against reverse engineering, tampering, data theft, and unauthorised access. 

Are our apps compliant with regulations like GDPR, HIPPA, or PCI DSS? 

Yes. Quixxi helps apps meet global security and privacy regulations including GDPR, HIPPA, and PCI-DSS by enforcing secure data handling, encryption, and compliance-driven testing mapped to standards like OWASP MASVS and Mobile Top 10. 

Any examples where our security measures prevented issues or improved app safety? 

Quixxi’s shielding has blocked reverse engineering attempts on fintech apps, prevented API misuse in healthcare platforms, and stopped data leaks by enforcing secure storage and encryption. Customers report faster compliance audits and reduced risk exposure. 

The Quixxi way: Complying with mobile application security standards 

Here’s how we empower businesses to stay secure and compliant: 

• Quixxi Scan: Static, Dynamic, and API scanning in one tool. 

• Compliance Mapping: Automatically aligns findings with OWASP Mobile Top 10, PCI DSS, GDPR, NIST, NIAP, and CVE benchmarks. 

• Prioritised insights: Reports ranked by risk and business impact. 

• Drag and Drop App Shielding: Quixxi Shield provides codeless runtime protection for Android and iOS, without altering existing code. 

• Layered Runtime Defence: Obfuscation, encryption, tamper detection, anti-debug, environment checks, and more safeguard apps post release. 

• Unified Intelligent Dashboards: A single portal for scanning, shielding, compliance monitoring, and threat analysis. 

• Configurable Security: Toggle settings to adapt protection level to your business needs. 

• Real time threat defence: Immediate detection and response to runtime threats like tampering, privacy, or fraudulent usage. 

When you are part of an enterprise with hundreds of mobile applications, manually identifying the gaps in the applications security environment is challenging and time consuming. 

To simplify mobile app security, Quixxi helps security custodians within the organisations automate compliance regulations so they can focus on core competencies, such as developing applications faster and reducing the time to market.  

Quixxi’s binary based security tool is scalable and super-fast. It uses static and dynamic analysis to help you identify vulnerabilities in your iOS and Android applications in <60 minutes. 

Conclusion 

Security in 2026 is not just about checking compliance boxes it’s about proactive, real-time protection. With Quixxi, you receive: 

• Comprehensive alignment with OWASP, PCI DSS, NIST, NIAP, and CVE standards. 

• Fast, codeless integration of runtime protection that safeguards your app both pre and post release. 

• A unified platform that unites scanning, shielding, compliance, and threat monitoring under one roof. 

• Configurable, intelligent defences that adapt to your business needs. 

Stay secure, compliant, and resilient with Quixxi. 

Adherence to mobile app security testing standards and best practices allows organisations to enhance collaboration between DevSecOps teams, streamline compliance with global regulations, and reduce time to market without compromising security. 

Combining automated testing for rapid vulnerability detection with expert-led manual penetration testing, Quixxi delivers comprehensive coverage for over 160 use cases. With features like real-device testing CI/CD integration, and actionable remediation guidance, Quixxi helps enterprises achieve proactive compliance, mitigate risks, and protect their application ecosystems.