Lookout launches tool to expose vulnerable code hidden inside mobile apps

Lookout launches tool to expose vulnerable code hidden inside mobile apps Mobile security company Lookout Inc. today launched the Lookout Mobile Software Exposure Center, a tool that lets organizations continuously identify, assess and prioritize the software exposure risk buried inside the mobile apps running on their employees’ devices. The capability is delivered as a core part of the company’s Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security platform, using the same console and agent that customers already run across their mobile fleets. Lookout argues that most enterprise security tools were built for desktop and cloud environments and largely overlook mobile applications, which are assembled from a patchwork of open-source libraries, embedded software development kits and third-party application programming interfaces. That leaves an exposure gap that mobile device management platforms cannot inspect, the company said. The timing is tied to the arrival of frontier artificial intelligence models such as Anthropic PBC’s Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5, which Lookout says have compressed the work of finding exploitable bugs from months of specialized research into hours. The company points to its own Threat Labs discovery in March of DarkSword, a full-chain iOS exploitation framework that targeted vulnerabilities hidden inside legitimate apps, as evidence that automated attacks on unexamined code have already arrived. The Mobile Software Exposure Center inspects Android and iOS apps at the binary level, without ever seeing their source code. For each one it fingerprints the compiled code and builds a software bill of materials. The tool then checks every component against Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures databases and third-party threat intelligence feeds. Outdated libraries and vulnerable SDKs get flagged for the security team. Security teams can query their fleet to find which apps contain a given component. The tool also scores applications for abandonment and patching hygiene and can push policies into existing device management and unified endpoint management workflows to restrict high-risk apps automatically. “In a frontier AI model world, the threat landscape has changed so fundamentally that traditional malware is akin to a toy in a sandbox,” Chief Executive Jim Dolce said in the announcement. “By unpacking application binaries at machine speed, we are giving enterprises the required control points to surface hidden vulnerabilities and neutralize automated, mobile AI-driven threats before they can hit the enterprise.” Lookout said the tool builds on more than 15 years of mobile threat work and telemetry from more than 235 million devices and 400 million applications. Existing customers get it natively, with no new agent to deploy. The launch follows Lookout’s April release of its AI Visibility and Governance product, which focused on discovering and controlling AI use on mobile devices. Where that tool addressed outbound AI activity, the Mobile Software Exposure Center targets the inbound software supply chain running on the device. Image: Lookout A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE: Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities. 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network. Are you AWS customer? Support SiliconANGLE Financially by buying your AWS services from our Marketplace portal page and links. About SiliconANGLE Media SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI. Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.