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The Mobile Application Security Testing (MAST) Initiative is a research which aims to help organizations and individuals reduce the possible risk exposures and security threat in using mobile applications. MAST aims define a framework for secure mobile application development, achieving privacy and security by design. Implementation of MAST will result in clearly articulated recommendations and best practices in the use of mobile applications.

Mobile application security testing and vetting processes utilized through MAST involve both static and dynamic analyses to evaluate security vulnerabilities of mobile applications for platforms such as Android, iOS and Windows. These processes cover permissions, exposed communications, potentially dangerous functionality, application collusion, obfuscation, excessive power consumption and traditional software vulnerabilities. It also covers internal communications such as debug flag and activities and external communications such as GPS, NFC access as well as checking the links that are written in the source code. In addition to security testing and vetting, the initiative has also proposed processes and procedures for security incidence response.

The use of mobile applications has become unavoidable, almost a necessity, in today's world. More people are starting to question the security of mobile applications and it's about time that you take a look at what the Cloud Security Alliance has to say about mobile application security!