72% of Organizations Hit by Mobile App Security Incidents

Analysis of Recent TrendCandy Survey Highlights Rising Client-Side Risk, Customer Churn, and API Abuse

Published on Feb. 18, 2026

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A new survey by TrendCandy, commissioned by Guardsquare, found that 72% of organizations experienced at least one mobile app security incident in the past year, and 65% reported customer churn or app uninstalls as a direct result of security issues. The research highlights how development velocity and AI adoption are accelerating mobile app risk, with 79% of respondents citing time-to-market pressure as the top barrier to stronger mobile app protection and 81% saying AI-generated code has introduced new vulnerabilities.

Why it matters

As mobile apps operate outside traditional trust boundaries, many organizations still rely on outdated, OS-level security assumptions that fail to protect mobile apps operating 'in the wild'. This 'client-side trust gap' is already translating into real business impact, from customer churn to increased backend risk.

The details

The global survey of 1,360 mobile app developers and security leaders found that 72% of organizations experienced at least one mobile app security incident in the past year, and 65% reported customer churn or app uninstalls as a direct result of security issues. Despite these impacts, many organizations continue to rely on outdated, OS-level security assumptions that fail to protect mobile apps operating 'in the wild'. The analysis also highlights how development velocity and AI adoption are accelerating mobile app risk, with 79% of respondents citing time-to-market pressure as the top barrier to stronger mobile app protection and 81% saying AI-generated code has introduced new vulnerabilities.

  • The survey was conducted in 2026.

The players

Guardsquare

The leading provider of mobile application security.

TrendCandy

An independent firm that conducted the survey commissioned by Guardsquare.

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What they’re saying

“Mobile apps operate outside traditional trust boundaries, but many organizations still rely on OS-level security assumptions that attackers routinely bypass.”

— Erica Sheehan, Chief Marketing Officer of Guardsquare

The takeaway

This research shows that the 'client-side trust gap' is already translating into real business impact, from customer churn to increased backend risk, highlighting the need for integrated mobile app security that combines automated testing, multi-layered code protection, runtime defenses, mobile API security, and continuous threat monitoring, without compromising development speed or app performance.