Are today’s mobile apps secure or do they offer opportunities for attackers? Synopsys’ recently released Mobile Application Security report examines the state of mobile application security during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the study, which encompassed 3,335 of the most popular Android mobile applications on the Google Play Store as of the first quarter of 2021, Synopsys’ Cybersecurity Research Center (CyRC) found that the majority of applications (63%) contained open source components with known vulnerabilities.

The CyRC also uncovered other concerning security issues, including sensitive data exposure and excessive mobile permissions.

The analysis focused on 18 popular mobile application categories that grew explosively due to the pandemic and the lockdowns that made it necessary to access everything from work to gyms to classrooms from home. These categories included education, business, and health and fitness.