The OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS) is a baseline for mobile app security and privacy. It is split into eight control groups: storage, cryptography, authentication, network, platform interaction, code quality, resilience and privacy. Each group holds a few short controls you can check an app against.
Why a standard helps
Mobile apps run on devices you do not control, talk to servers you do, and pull in many third-party libraries. Without a shared list, a review tends to follow whatever the reviewer happens to know. The MASVS project describes three uses: as a metric to compare apps against, as guidance during development and testing, and as a baseline during procurement.
The standard says what to verify. The weaknesses behind each control are listed in a separate project (MASWE), and the testing steps live in the Mobile Application Security Testing Guide (MASTG).
The eight groups
MASVS-STORAGE. Two controls: the app securely stores sensitive data, and the app prevents leakage of sensitive data. The second covers accidental exposure through things like backups and logs.
MASVS-CRYPTO. Use current strong cryptography according to best practice, and manage keys properly across their lifecycle: generation, storage and protection.
MASVS-AUTH. Three controls: secure authentication and authorization protocols, secure local authentication such as biometrics or a PIN, and extra authentication for sensitive operations. The standard is clear that enforcement of these mechanisms must be on the remote endpoint.
MASVS-NETWORK. Secure all network traffic to current best practice, and pin identity for the endpoints you control.
MASVS-PLATFORM. Use inter-process communication securely, use WebViews securely, and use the user interface securely, for example so sensitive data does not leak through auto-generated screenshots.
MASVS-CODE. Require an up-to-date platform version, have a way to enforce app updates, use only components without known vulnerabilities, and validate and sanitize all untrusted input.
MASVS-RESILIENCE. Four controls: validate platform integrity, resist tampering, make static analysis harder, make dynamic analysis harder.
MASVS-PRIVACY. Minimize access to sensitive data, prevent identification of the user, be transparent about collection and usage, and give users control over their data.
How to use it on a real app
Do not try to score all 24 controls at once. A practical order:
- Start with STORAGE, NETWORK and AUTH. These cover where data sits, how it travels and who is allowed in. Most real findings land here.
- Add CODE next, because third-party libraries and input handling affect every other group.
- Decide deliberately about RESILIENCE. These controls matter most for apps where tampering has a direct cost, such as payments or games. For a content app the answer may be to do less. Write the decision down.
- Review PRIVACY with whoever owns your analytics and advertising SDKs, since the privacy controls explicitly cover what those SDKs collect and when.
Record each control as met, not met or not applicable, with a one line reason. That list becomes your evidence when a buyer asks how you secure the app.
Where Safeguard fits
One slice of this work is MASVS-CODE-3: knowing which components in your build have known vulnerabilities. Safeguard's SBOM and dependency scanning, plus reachability analysis, can help with that, and you can try a free scan. The rest of the standard needs your own design and testing.
Quick check
Is the MASVS a certification?
No. It is a standard of requirements to verify against. The OWASP pages describe its uses as a metric, as guidance and for procurement, and do not describe a certification.
Does it replace the OWASP Top 10?
No. The MASVS is specific to mobile apps and is organized by control group. A web or API backend still needs its own review.
Sources
- OWASP MASVS repository README
- OWASP MASVS control definitions (MASVS-STORAGE-1 and siblings)
- OWASP MAS site
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
