What is OWASP MASVS?

OWASP MASVS, or the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard, is an industry standard for mobile application security. It gives developers, security testers, architects, and mobile app owners a structured way to define, build, and verify security controls in Android and iOS applications.

Instead of saying a mobile app should “protect user data,” MASVS defines the areas teams must verify, such as secure storage, cryptography, authentication, network communication, platform interaction, code quality, resilience, and privacy.

MASVS helps organizations reduce mobile app risk before release. It supports secure design, code review, penetration testing, mobile app security testing, compliance reviews, and vendor assessments. Teams can also use it with the OWASP Mobile Application Security Testing Guide, which provides testing methods for verifying MASVS controls.

Why it matters

Mobile apps often process sensitive data, authentication tokens, payment details, business workflows, personal information, and API requests. Attackers target these apps through insecure storage, weak authentication, exposed APIs, tampering, reverse engineering, and unsafe network communication.

OWASP MASVS gives teams a common security baseline. It helps developers build stronger apps, helps testers evaluate controls consistently, and helps businesses compare mobile app security claims with measurable evidence.

OWASP MASVS helps organizations:

• Define mobile app security requirements early.
• Standardize Android and iOS security testing.
• Reduce risks from weak authentication and insecure data storage.
• Improve protection against reverse engineering and tampering.
• Validate secure communication between apps and backend services.
• Support procurement and third-party mobile app assessments.

Key control areas

How Hexnode helps with OWASP MASVS

Hexnode UEM helps organizations govern the mobile devices that run, test, distribute, or access business applications. Administrators can manage apps across supported platforms, maintain app inventory, create app catalogs for approved business apps, and apply blocklist or allowlist policies to control which apps users can install or access on managed devices.

Hexnode UEM does not verify OWASP MASVS controls or replace mobile app security testing, source code review, penetration testing, MASTG-based testing, or runtime application protection. It supports MASVS-aligned mobile security programs by strengthening device governance, application control, and approved app distribution around the mobile app environment.