We’re living in an era where cybercrime costs the global economy USD 18 million every minute—adding up to a staggering $9.5 trillion annually, according to the World Economic Forum. In the Middle East, the average cost of a cybersecurity breach stands at USD 8.05 million, nearly double the global average. As the Gulf region doubles down on digital leadership, 77% of organizations in the GCC have increased their cybersecurity budgets in 2025, aiming to secure innovation amidst an increasingly complex threat landscape.
Yet, in a recent report highlighting top CISO priorities for 2025, one critical consideration was noticeably absent: mobile security.
The GCC is among the world’s most advanced mobile-first markets. Over 95% of the population is online—compared to the global average of 63%—and rapid 5G deployment is accelerating mobile adoption at an unprecedented pace. The boom in e-commerce, fintech, and digital government services is driving mobile-first behaviors, particularly among the region’s young, digitally native population.
For enterprises, this mobile-first environment offers immense opportunity—and a growing risk. Mobile apps today serve as the primary interface for customers, employees, and operations—from field services to CRM. Looking ahead, mobile will evolve from a productivity tool into a fully integrated, AI-powered enterprise platform. In fact, enterprises are expected to triple their adoption of AIOps in 2025, leveraging mobile platforms for context-aware automation, real-time threat detection, and self-healing capabilities. As mobile becomes the default interface, we’ll also see deeper integrations with edge computing, biometrics, and decentralized identity systems.
The risks of a fragmented approach
Despite its strategic importance, mobile security often remains fragmented. App development typically sits within product or business units, while security oversight is led by central IT teams. This can result in inconsistent standards, limited visibility, and competing priorities. Add to that the growing reliance on third-party SDKs, APIs, and open-source code, and enterprises face a landscape riddled with potential vulnerabilities.
The consequences are no longer hypothetical. Industry research shows that 31% of zero-day exploits now target mobile platforms, and 20% of enterprise mobile devices have experienced network-based attacks. In the GCC, 42% of organizations have detected unauthorized mobile apps accessing internal data—often flying under the radar of security tools designed for desktop or web environments.
Small and mid-sized businesses face an even steeper challenge. Many lack the resources to manage mobile threats proactively. According to Accenture’s Cost of Cybercrime Study, 40% of SMBs experience eight or more hours of downtime after a mobile breach, yet only 14% feel adequately prepared. These are not just operational hiccups—they translate to lost revenue, reputational damage, regulatory fines, and in critical sectors like healthcare or banking, service disruption.
Regulation is catching up
Governments across the GCC are responding with increasingly robust regulatory frameworks. In the UAE, the country’s Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) includes provisions that apply directly to mobile-based data collection and processing. Similarly, Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) has outlined mobile-specific guidelines within its Essential Cybersecurity Controls (ECC), including secure configurations, access controls, and continuous monitoring. These frameworks mark an important shift prove that mobile is no longer viewed as a secondary channel; it is now treated as a core component of digital infrastructure, subject to the same expectations around data protection, availability, and accountability.
For CISOs, this means mobile security can no longer be managed through piecemeal tools or occasional audits. It requires a lifecycle-based approach that includes secure development practices, continuous testing, runtime monitoring, and integrated compliance reporting.
Building mobile resilience
At Appknox, we’ve seen firsthand how organisations can elevate their mobile security posture with the right tools and mindset. Our platform is purpose-built for mobile environments, delivering real-time vulnerability detection, automated compliance checks, and continuous monitoring – without slowing down development cycles. By integrating into DevSecOps workflows, we help enterprises cut security testing time by up to 40% and reduce operational overhead by as much as 30%.
But beyond tooling, what’s most critical is a mindset shift. CISOs must expand their definition of core infrastructure to fully include mobile. That means evaluating mobile risk at the same level as network, cloud, and endpoint systems, and ensuring that security extends across the entire mobile ecosystem, from development to post-deployment.
As the region’s digital economy continues to evolve, mobile platforms will increasingly define customer experience, operational agility, and enterprise resilience. The organizations that lead in mobile security will not only reduce risk. They’ll be best positioned to scale with confidence, comply with certainty, and innovate without hesitation.
This Op-ed is authored by Harshit Agarwal, Managing Director and Co-founder, Appknox.
