From Facebook to Flipboard, a new tech company is trying to make sure everything you do on your smartphone stays on your smartphone, and out of the hands of hackers.
“All the data is moving from the Web into the mobile,” said Elon Ohevya, co-founder and chief executive of AppInside. “The hacks are already happening, and we’re going to help stop this.”
Currently based in Israel, AppInside announced $2.3 million in venture funding last week, led by Cambridge firm Accomplice.
The company takes apart and inspects mobile apps, looking for security vulnerabilities and opportunities for hackers.
AppInside’s engineering team is led by the former chief of cyber training at the Israeli Defense Forces, and several employees come from the IDF.
Ohevya said security on mobile devices is harder to manage because it is more difficult to implement a widespread fix.
“The problems are much, much worse because when you have a vulnerability in the app, you have to update the app” instead of simply visiting a seamlessly updated version of a website, he said. Others may never update their app, leaving them vulnerable.
Research firm Gartner has said 75 percent of mobile apps will fail security tests. Hacks of apps have been overshadowed by breaches of credit card numbers and information on cheaters, but may be just as much of a threat.
Earlier this year, Starbucks customers complained that money had been taken out of their coffee coffers. Last week, researchers said a flaw in the OnStar app allowed hackers to unlock and start vehicles remotely.
Next year, AppInside will move to Boston, joining the more than a dozen early-stage companies working out of Accomplice’s office.
Jeff Fagnan, a partner at Accomplice, said AppInside will fit well with the firm’s other cybersecurity investments. So well, in fact, Fagnan heard about the company and reached out through their website, a move that is far from common from VCs who are often inundated with companies pitching them.
Fagnan said consumers will soon start to be wary of how secure their apps are as hackers turn their attention toward smartphone apps. AppInside could end up becoming a company that certifies apps as secure for users, he said.
“Imagine from a consumer perspective, to have the ability to see a security rating before you download,” he said.
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