Landing page article sold to client in India who desired an in-depth research piece about cutting-edge software testing written in “simple language” for “readers with all levels of English”: In today's world, the usage of mobile applications accounts for much of the time users spend on mobile devices. In addition to providing recreation in the form of games and easy access to the services normally provided by websites (for instance, mobile shopping apps from sites like Amazon and eBay), mobile applications are being used by companies to provide resources to their employees and increase productivity. As mobile apps become more and more integrated into our personal and work lives, more and more of our valuable personal data is integrated into the apps themselves. In many cases, apps are allowing us to be more efficient than ever before. However, insufficiently secured apps can put us at huge risk. According to research from Arxan, the world's largest provider of security services for mobile applications, over 50 percent of Apple's most popular apps have been hacked, and 100 percent of Android's most popular apps have been compromised. It is advantageous for companies to have their mobile applications tested via "penetration testing", which ensures apps are as safe as possible from exploits and vulnerabilities. Mobile applications have different requirements than web applications, which have been the dominant form of application until recently. Penetration testing for mobile apps takes these differences into account and uncovers vulnerabilities that can harm both the user whose data is stored in the app and the company whose network is frequently attached to their personal phone. The fact that many companies now have "BYOD" policies, or "Bring Your Own Device" policies, means that many applications are stored on phones used both personally and professionally. Mobile applications need to be tested on their own in order maintain an entirely secure state, as employees store data from both their companies and their personal lives on the same phone or tablet. Frequently, data from both is stored in the same mobile application. This is why penetration testing, a method consisting of automated and manual tools, is vital for any mobile application. Automated tools are advantageous due to their speed and the breadth of their coverage. They can perform a series of tasks without human help and run repeatedly, with thousands of payloads and guidance towards different potential problems in the mobile app. In addition, automated tools allow people who are not experts in mobile security to evaluate their apps. After running, automated tools can produce easy-to-interpret reports on what they detected. On the other hand, manual tests allow for the detection of logic problems (particularly business logic) that only humans can detect. Automated tools have to be updated every time new information on potential vulnerabilities is released, but by using a manual human tester constant updates can be avoided and testers can simply search for exploits directly. Where automated tests can produce errors and false positives, humans performing manual tests can be much more accurate. Any mobile application should undergo frequent penetration tests in order to assure security and functionality.