Appicaptor Security Index 2016

According to the latest tests by Fraunhofer SIT, 81 percent of the most popular free iOS communication apps still use unencrypted HTTP connections to load content such as HTML pages and JavaScript code. On Android, 86 percent of the top 2,000 free apps have encryption flaws. However, such security vulnerabilities affect not only news or flashlight apps, but also file viewer apps - such as PDF readers - which are far more critical for businesses.

A full 73 percent of the file viewer apps analyzed and 55 percent of Android organizer apps (28 percent for iOS) are unsuitable for corporate use because they contain serious flaws that cybercriminals can exploit. “This allows attackers to spy on employees’ passwords or PINs and cause significant financial damage,” says Dr. Jens Heider, head of the Mobile Security Test Lab at Fraunhofer SIT in Darmstadt. Since these apps are often used to view confidential documents, these security vulnerabilities are particularly serious.

For their analyses, the Fraunhofer scientists used the Appicaptor testing tool, which automatically examines large numbers of apps for security and compliance with the respective company’s data protection regulations. Companies can use Appicaptor as a solution to quickly and easily evaluate both existing apps and those currently in development. The testing tool developed by Fraunhofer SIT checks each app against various standard criteria and generates a corresponding overall assessment of the app’s risk potential.