Mobile security is a tricky game. As hackers get smarter, the rest of us need to stay one step ahead. That’s where Appdome comes in—a company at the cutting edge of mobile app protection. We recently sat down with Chris Roeckl, Chief Products Offer at Appdome, discussing some of the most forward-thinking security solutions in the market today.

Their journey began with a simple yet ambitious goal: to defend mobile apps from the ever-growing wave of cyber threats. Throughout our conversation, we explored how Appdome has risen to meet this challenge, evolving its technology to tackle current threats and anticipate potential future risks. This engaging discussion sheds light on the innovative strategies and relentless drive that keep Appdome at the forefront of the mobile security industry.

Can you describe Appdome’s origin and the key moment that led to its focus on real-time defence against social engineering in mobile apps?

Appdome was established in 2016 to create the first DevOps tool for mobile security protection, providing mobile brands with a consolidated mobile app defence platform to address all their mobile app defence needs. One of our latest innovations is to combat the complex menace of social engineering attacks. The Appdome platform protects mobile apps from social engineering attacks and provides over 300+ further protections, adapting as threats and technology evolve. The company’s focus on addressing the immediate threats to mobile brands and consumers reflects a broader vision to adapt and respond to evolving security challenges. We will continue expanding Appdome’s offerings to provide comprehensive solutions for mobile app security.

What is Appdome’s main goal in mobile security, and what are your immediate plans for this year regarding DevSecOps and real-time threat intelligence?

Appdome is driven by the mission to secure every mobile application against the increasing threat of cyber-attacks, such as social engineering scams, other malware and fraud, and mobile bot defence. The platform’s evolution is focused on preparing and protecting against continually advancing threats in real-time. This year, Appdome is continuing to integrate cutting-edge innovations in DevSecOps, enhancing automation and security throughout the development lifecycle of mobile apps. The team is committed to advancing real-time threat intelligence capabilities to detect and respond to threats more effectively. By incorporating these innovations, Appdome is poised to offer more robust and dynamic security solutions that adapt to the sophisticated tactics of modern cybercriminals, ensuring comprehensive protection for mobile app users.

Appdome is known for its proactive approach to mobile app security. Could you discuss the philosophy of your strategy and its benefits for users, particularly in preventing social engineering and addressing mobile fraud?

Appdome’s proactive approach to mobile app security is deeply rooted in the understanding that today’s cybersecurity threats, particularly social engineering, require preventative measures rather than reactive ones. The sophistication of social engineering scams has escalated with advancements in AI, making it nearly impossible for consumers to protect themselves. This puts the burden on mobile brands to protect their apps and the consumers who use them. The philosophy behind Appdome’s strategy is to integrate advanced real-time threat intelligence and automated security mechanisms directly into the mobile app development process, known as DevSecOps. This integration ensures that security is a foundational element of app development rather than an afterthought.

The benefit of this proactive strategy is multifold: it not only helps prevent social engineering but also protects the app against a broader spectrum of threats like mobile fraud, bot attacks, and malware. Appdome protections enable a seamless yet secure user experience, minimising disruptions while maximising protection. This approach protects against known threats and is agile enough to adapt to new tactics as they emerge, ensuring that both mobile brands and consumers are one step ahead of bad actors.

How did Appdome build its expertise in managing threats across different languages and frameworks, and how has this enhanced your automated security solutions?

Appdome’s extensive knowledge base in mobile app security was built through meticulous research and continuous analysis across various programming languages and frameworks. Appdome’s dedicated DevSecOps focus helped the company to recognise that the diversity of mobile development environments presented a significant challenge, necessitating a deep dive into the unique vulnerabilities and threat vectors specific to each framework. By collating data from myriad sources and leveraging advanced analytics, Appdome has been able to categorise and understand the complex patterns of mobile threats, including those posed by AI-enhanced social engineering scams.

This robust knowledge base fuels Appdome’s automated security solutions, enabling the platform to implement pre-emptive protections that are finely tuned to the specifics of each app’s coding language and operational framework. Such comprehensive insight allows Appdome to offer tailored security measures that effectively thwart a wide range of mobile threats, such as fraud, bot attacks, and malware, as well as efficient integration, ensuring minimal impact on the app’s performance and user experience. This strategic approach enhances security and streamlines the development process, securing apps from the ground up.

How does Appdome’s technical workflow enable real-time detection and prevention of mobile threats, and how is it integrated into apps without affecting performance?

Appdome’s technical workflow for real-time detection and prevention of social engineering and other mobile threats is built on sophisticated machine learning algorithms and a dynamic threat analysis framework. These technologies continuously analyse app behaviour and user interactions to identify and neutralise potential threats as they occur. This process is seamlessly integrated into the user’s mobile app experience through Appdome’s Fusion technology, which embeds security protections directly into the app binary without altering the app’s original code or operational architecture.

Appdome operates invisibly in the background with zero impact on the app’s performance or user experience. Using machine learning, Appdome provides proactive security that defends against threats in real-time, ensuring that developers and users benefit from strong security measures that do not compromise usability. This approach protects against current mobile threats and evolves with the landscape, ready to counteract future vulnerabilities and attack vectors as they arise.

How does Appdome detect and prevent mobile threats in real time and ensure smooth integration without affecting app performance?

Appdome’s integration into CI/CD pipelines significantly enhances the speed, visibility, and control over the mobile app security lifecycle. By embedding security measures directly into the development process, Appdome allows developers to incorporate robust security features without slowing release cycles. These seamless integrations ensure that security is a continuous and automated part of the development process rather than a disjointed or manual addition, which can lead to vulnerabilities.

This approach speeds up the development process by eliminating the burden of manual coding. We also go beyond competing solutions by allowing for customisation of threat responses to enhance the end-user experience and provide real-time visibility into security protections. Developers and security teams gain greater control over their projects, with the ability to detect and address vulnerabilities early in the lifecycle. Appdome’s unique position in the market stems from its ability to add comprehensive mobile security seamlessly with the rapid deployment capabilities required by modern mobile applications, making it an invaluable tool for organisations looking to safeguard their mobile assets efficiently and effectively.

What are your views on the zero-trust model for mobile apps, and what do you see as the next trend in mobile security? How is Appdome preparing for future challenges?

The zero-trust security model is very applicable to enterprise mobile apps used by employees to accomplish their work. In particular, Appdome released a new product in this regard, called Appdome MobileEDR. Appdome MobileEDR is the only mobile threat detection and defence system that empowers the enterprise to set the level of trust to use in evaluating on-device mobile threats. Enterprises can use either Zero-Trust to ensure the device is free of any specific threat before allowing connection, log or activity in the mobile app. Enterprises can also use Dynamic Trust, which evaluates the device state dynamically throughout the lifecycle of mobile app use. This strategy positions Appdome to adeptly respond to evolving security threats and safeguard mobile ecosystems effectively.