Most companies think they're being smart with their budget by putting off mobile security testing. "We'll deal with that later," they say. "Let's just get the app out there first." But here's the brutal truth that's going to hurt your wallet: fixing security problems after your app is live costs way more than catching them early. We're talking about 10 times more, sometimes even more than that.
You might think skipping security testing saves money upfront, but that's like not getting your car serviced to save $200, then having your engine blow up and costing you $5,000. Except with mobile apps, we're not talking about thousands - we're talking about millions, or even billions.
Think of security debt like credit card debt. Every time you skip a security check or rush out a feature without proper testing, you're basically putting charges on a credit card. At first, it didn't seem like a big deal. But that debt keeps growing, and eventually the interest payments (or in this case, the cost of fixing problems later) becomes overwhelming.
The problem is, this debt doesn't just sit there quietly. It grows. And when it finally comes due, it hits hard.
Let's look at a real example of what happens when mobile app security debt comes calling.
In March 2020, security researcher Sanjana Sarda uncovered several vulnerabilities in Bumble’s mobile app. The flaws exposed sensitive data from more than 100 million users –including photos, location, and political views– and even allowed attackers to bypass the $9.99/week paywall.
The real problem? Bumble took 255 days to fix these issues. That's over 8 months of leaving users exposed to potential data theft.
The cost was significant: a class action lawsuit was filed alleging Bumble was "negligent in handling user data," plus months of emergency development resources, legal fees, and reputation damage. According to the researcher, these were "easy fixes" that should have been caught during regular security testing.
Instead of spending a few thousand dollars on security testing during development, Bumble ended up spending hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) on emergency fixes and legal costs — all while leaving users vulnerable for over 8 months.
Here's how the numbers typically break down:
The pattern is always the same — companies that invest early in security testing spend thousands. Companies that wait spend millions.
There are several reasons why the costs explode once problems reach production:
This is where Corellium Viper with MATRIX technology becomes a game-changer. Instead of waiting until after your app is live to discover security problems, MATRIX helps you find and fix them while you're still building.
MATRIX runs hundreds of automated security tests in just minutes. It checks for all the common problems that lead to expensive breaches:
The tool gives you a detailed report showing exactly what's wrong and how to fix it. More importantly, it does this while fixing the problems is still cheap and easy.
Here's a rough cost comparison:
Security debt is real, and it's expensive. Every day you delay proper security testing, that debt grows. Eventually, it comes due - and when it does, the bill is always bigger than you expected.
Companies like T-Mobile and Equifax learned this the hard way. T-Mobile spent over $380 million just on settlements, while Equifax's total bill exceeded $1.7 billion. Both of these disasters could have been prevented with regular security testing and prompt vulnerability patching.
The smart money isn't on hoping nothing goes wrong. The smart money is on tools like Viper with MATRIX that help you catch problems early, when fixing them costs hundreds of dollars instead of hundreds of millions.
Your CFO will thank you. Your customers will thank you. And you'll sleep better at night knowing your app isn't a ticking time bomb waiting to explode your budget.
Don't let security debt compound. The interest rate on this particular debt is way too high to ignore.
Ready to tackle your mobile security debt before it becomes a crisis? Get your free trial of Corellium Viper with MATRIX technology and start automated mobile security testing today. Because fixing problems in development is always cheaper than explaining them to lawyers.