Upwardly Mobile - API & App Security News

Upwardly Mobile - API & App Security News

Dive into the high-stakes world of mobile app development and API security with Upwardly Mobile, your ultimate guide to defending apps in today’s volatile digital landscape. Hosted by Skye Macintyre and George McGregor, and proudly sponsored by Approov, the gold standard in mobile app attestation and API security. This podcast unpacks the evolving AI enabled threats and innovative solutions shaping mobile cybersecurity. Explore why built-in protection from Apple, Google, Samsung and Huawei often fall short, leaving sensitive data vulnerable. Learn how advanced techniques—like runtime attestation and dynamic API security—thwart attackers and secure your app ecosystem. Each episode delivers insights into major data breaches, emerging trends, and actionable strategies to fortify your apps and APIs against ever-advancing cyber threats. From development best practices to navigating compliance and regulation, Upwardly Mobile equips iOS, Android and HarmonyOS mobile developers, security professionals, and tech enthusiasts with the knowledge to safeguard their creations. Stay informed, stay secure, and stay ahead with expert guidance on the future of mobile cybersecurity. Subscribe now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and elevate your security game!

Episodes

November 6, 2025 11 mins
Remote Attestation vs. RASP: Securing Mobile APIs at the Edge (Zscaler vs. Approov/Cloudflare) On this episode of Upwardly Mobile, we dive deep into the most critical architectural debate in mobile API security today: Does security enforcement belong on the client device (RASP) or off-device at the network edge (Remote Attestation)? We break down the philosophical and technical differences between the integrated Zscaler ZSDK approa...
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Upwardly Mobile: Episode Notes Episode Title: App Store Revolution: Google Play Opens to Third-Party Payments (The Epic Games Aftermath) Summary: In this episode of Upwardly Mobile, we break down the monumental shift in the Android ecosystem following the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear Google's final appeal. Google has finally opened its Google Play app store to third-party payment options for U.S. developers, settling a multi-yea...
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    The Billion-Download Backdoor: Defending Client-Side Supply Chains Against Crypto-Draining NPM Attacks
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    Episode Notes
    In early September 2025, the open-source software ecosystem faced a massive supply chain attack when attackers compromised trusted maintainer accounts on npm using targeted phishing emails. This security breach led to the injection of malic...
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    The Unseen Storm: Securing APIs and Protecting Against Key Exposure

    This week on Upwardly Mobile, we delve into the hidden dangers lurking within seemingly simple applications and the advanced solutions required to close the modern mobile security trust gap. We analyze a case study involving a basic weather application to illustrate how common development mistakes—like exposing sensitive API keys and neglecting input validation—crea...
  • UK CMA Declares Apple & Google Have Strategic Market Status (SMS): The Future of Mobile Competition and Security

    In this pivotal episode of "Upwardly Mobile," we break down the monumental decision by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to officially designate Apple and Google with Strategic Market Status (SMS) in their respective mobile platforms. This move is set to reshape digital markets across the UK and has mass...
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    API Security Under Fire: F5's Zero-Day Roadmap and the Unacceptable Risk to Mobile Apps

    The F5 BIG-IP Breach and What It Means for Developers This week on Upwardly Mobile, we dive into the fallout from the catastrophic security breach at F5 Networks, where a sophisticated nation-state adversary compromised the integrity of the critical BIG-IP product line. We discuss why this incident poses an imminent and unacceptable risk to organ...
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    Corporate Extortion and the Fall of BreachForums: Tracking ShinyHunters

    In this episode of "Upwardly Mobile," we dive into the world of high-stakes corporate extortion, focusing on the sophisticated cybercriminal group ShinyHunters (also tracked as UNC6040) and the subsequent takedown of their infamous platform, BreachForums. The sources detail how the FBI, in collaboration with French law enforcement authorities, seized the Breachf...
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    Mobile is officially the digital default. In this episode of Upwardly Mobile, we explore the staggering statistics showing mobile devices dominating global internet usage and discuss the critical security challenges that arise from this mobile-first environment. We then delve into the cutting-edge solution offered by our sponsor, Approov, and their latest platform update, Approov 3.5, designed to secure brands against evolving thre...
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    In this episode of Upwardly Mobile, we dive into the significant legal challenges facing major technology companies—Apple, Google (Alphabet), and Meta Platforms—as they are forced to defend themselves against class action lawsuits alleging that they promoted and profited from illegal social casino gambling apps. A recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California, denied the companies' requests to dismiss t...
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    In this critical episode of Upwardly Mobile, we delve into the alarming cybersecurity incident involving massive data exposure stemming from misconfigured Firebase servers. Cybersecurity researchers uncovered a breach that exposed the sensitive information and plaintext passwords of over 1.8 million users. This wasn't the result of sophisticated hacking, but rather "basic negligence" and developers failing to implement standard sec...
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    Neon's Data Disaster: How a Viral AI App Exposed 75,000 Users and Went Dark
    In this urgent episode of Upwardly Mobile, we break down the spectacular rise and immediate fall of the highly controversial mobile application, Neon. The app, which recently topped the charts and went viral on platforms like TikTok, promised users payment in exchange for recording their phone calls. These recordings were then sold to AI companies for traini...
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    Google's Legal Gauntlet: Antitrust Battles and the Future of the App Ecosystem 

    This week on Upwardly Mobile, we dissect the flurry of major legal decisions facing Google in September 2025, from its desperate plea to the Supreme Court to halt the Epic Games injunction to the final ruling in the federal search monopoly case. We explore the massive shifts coming to the Android app ecosystem and Google's mandated business practice chan...
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    Episode Notes
    Description:
    In this episode of Upwardly Mobile, we dive into one of the most pressing cybersecurity threats facing mobile carriers and their subscribers: eSIM swap fraud. While digital SIMs offer superior security against physical theft, they remain vulnerable to sophisticated credential-based attacks and social engineering that target the carrier's systems. We explain how this critical fraud operates and reveal the ad...
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    In this episode, we're diving deep into Apple's groundbreaking Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE), an unprecedented effort poised to redefine the landscape of mobile security, and we'll also explore the broader spectrum of threats targeting the iOS ecosystem.

    Apple's Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE) is the culmination of a half-decade of intensive design and engineering, combining the unique strengths of Apple silicon hardware wit...
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    The App Store Freedom Act

    Episode Description: In this episode of Upwardly Mobile, we unpack the App Store Freedom Act, a landmark bipartisan bill aiming to reform the highly concentrated mobile app marketplace dominated by tech giants like Apple and Google. Introduced by Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) and co-sponsored by Representative Lori Trahan (D-MA), this legislation addresses significant concerns about anti-competitive pra...
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    Episode Title: Anatsa Unleashed: How a Sophisticated Android Banking Trojan Targets Over 830 Financial Apps Globally

    In this episode of "Upwardly Mobile," we dive deep into the alarming evolution of Anatsa, a potent Android banking trojan that has significantly expanded its reach, now setting its sights on over 830 financial applications worldwide
    . First identified in 2020, Anatsa (also known as Teabot or Troddler) grants its operat...
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    Apple's iOS Obfuscation Dilemma: App Store Rejection & Developer Security Challenges

    In this vital episode of "Upwardly Mobile," we dive deep into the complexities of mobile app security within the healthcare sector, particularly concerning the HIPAA Security Rule and the challenges of iOS code obfuscation and App Store review. As telemedicine and mobile access to ePHI (Electronic Protected Health Information) become ubiquitous,...
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    Securing the Autonomous Frontier: Defending Apps and APIs from Agentic AI Threats

    Episode Notes In this episode of Upwardly Mobile, we delve into the critical and rapidly evolving landscape of Agentic AI security. As artificial intelligence advances beyond reactive responses to become autonomous systems capable of planning, reasoning, and taking action without constant human intervention, the need for robust security measures has be...
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    The Future of App Development with Vibe Coding and Approov

    Description: In this episode of Upwardly Mobile, we delve into the exciting, fast-paced world of "vibe coding" and rapid app development, where concepts can transform into functional Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) in days, not weeks. We discuss how intuitive, AI-powered platforms like Lovable are enabling developers to build full-stack web applications using plain English, f...
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    Apple's Enduring Browser Engine Ban: A Global Standoff for the Open Web
    Description:
    In this episode of Upwardly Mobile, we delve into Apple's persistent ban on third-party browser engines on iOS, a restriction that continues to stifle competition and limit the capabilities of web applications. Despite growing global pressure and explicit legal mandates like the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple has maintained technical and contr...
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