If your organization is pursuing SOC 2 compliance, don’t overlook your mobile app ecosystem — especially the APIs your apps rely on and the security vendors you integrate to protect them.
Introduction
Incidents involving the compromise of mobile supply chains are becoming more frequent and the security of the elements that comprise mobile apps is no longer a niche concern - OWASP Identifies Supply Chain Risk as a Top Mobile App Threat.
Every third-party library, SDK, build pipeline, and distribution channel represents a potential risk if not rigorously secured and continuously monitored.
SOC 2 compliance has a key role to play here, since it focuses on operational controls, risk management, and third‑party governance. Enterprises are using SOC 2 to give customers, partners, and regulators confidence that security controls are in-place, auditable, repeatable, and effective.
Highly regulated sectors including banks, financial services and healthcare often pursue SOC 2 compliance for both internal systems and vendors, in order to demonstrate that their systems and processes protect sensitive data and API‑driven services effectively.
But SOC 2 Compliance is not just for heavily regulated sectors. It is increasingly becoming a baseline signal of trust — even when not legally required. SOC2 is particularly applicable when companies:
- Collect personal info (PII, payment data)
- Integrate with partner APIs (e.g., Stripe, CRM, AI backends)
- Need to pass security reviews for B2B partnerships
In fact, many mobile app companies in “less regulated” spaces are actively pursuing SOC 2 compliance to gain:
- Enterprise trust
- Competitive advantage
- Faster procurement
- Risk-reduction messaging for investors and partners
We have seen examples across the board of mobile-first enterprises pursuing SOC 2: mental wellness apps, delivery platforms, fleet tracking, shopping apps, collaboration apps… This is driven largely by customer/vendor expectations rather than legal mandates.
What SOC 2 Is and What Does it Cover?
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants “System and Organization” (SOC) 2 controls measure security and availability, giving industry-wide recognition to companies that conform to them. SOC 2 is a security framework designed to evaluate how service providers handle customer data. It focuses on five Trust Services Criteria:
- Security
- Availability
- Processing integrity
- Confidentiality
- Privacy
SOC 2 is different from SOC 1:
- SOC 1: This accreditation addresses the internal control design over financial reporting.
- SOC 2: This accreditation addresses a service organization's controls that are relevant to their operations and compliance.
A SOC 2 audit reviews the security controls in place at the subject company for the scope of the audit. For a SOC 2 Type 1 audit, the auditor reviews the design of the controls, and whether it is appropriate and sufficient to meet reasonable security standards. In a SOC 2 Type 2 audit, the auditor goes further to include the operation of the security controls over a defined period. A SOC 2 Type 2 is more comprehensive because the auditor reviews evidence of actual security procedures being followed.
For a SOC 2 Type 2 report, the auditor issues an opinion, summarizing what was found. This states that controls are suitably designed for the company to meet its service commitments, and that the controls operated effectively during the control period.
So How Does SOC 2 Apply to Mobile Apps and APIs?
SOC 2 logic says that any system that processes, transmits, or gates access to sensitive data must have verifiable controls. That includes mobile apps (and the APIs they call).
Enterprises pursuing or maintaining SOC 2 compliance often focus on backend systems, data stores, and user authentication platforms — but mobile apps and their APIs are often overlooked in the process.
However, mobile apps are not just frontends. They interact directly with sensitive APIs, carry authentication tokens, and collect data that feeds into regulated systems. If a fake or tampered mobile app can impersonate a legitimate client, your API surface becomes the weakest link in your SOC 2 trust chain.
To align mobile with SOC 2 goals — particularly the Security, Processing Integrity, and Confidentiality criteria — organizations need to:
- Ensure only untampered, authentic apps can access sensitive APIs
- Maintain visibility into app runtime security posture
- Control and audit how data is accessed and processed from mobile devices
Where do Mobile App/API Security Solutions Fit In
The second piece of the puzzle is the security vendors you use to protect those mobile apps and APIs. If you’re embedding a mobile security SDK, using an attestation service, or outsourcing parts of your runtime enforcement, that vendor is now part of your compliance boundary.
SOC 2 requires that you evaluate and manage third-party risk, especially when those services:
- Issue tokens or control API access
- Process device or app metadata
- Inject code or logic into your mobile build
- Feed into your monitoring or trust decisions
This means any vendor protecting your mobile perimeter should prove they meet the same trust and security standards you do.
If your app’s security depends on a vendor’s system being correct, secure, and available — SOC 2 gives you a way to trust, but verify.
Vendor Selection in the Context of SOC 2
If you are evaluating a new security solution which:
- Processes mobile app or device metadata
- Issues signed tokens used for API authentication
- Provides backend dashboards or controls
- Makes enforcement decisions or logs sensitive traffic
Then that security solution will be part of the trusted execution chain and there are key questions which you must ask your security vendor before deployment, for example:
- Can we trust this SDK not to introduce risk?
- Who can access the token signing infrastructure?
- What if the attestation service goes down or is breached?
By demonstrating SOC 2 compliance security vendors can answer these and other critical questions by demonstrating they have the following in place:
- Access control to customer-related metadata
- Incident response procedures
- Change management around app-facing SDKs and tokens
- Secure development and testing environments
- Logging, monitoring, and evidence of operational oversight
Even if the vendor doesn’t process PII directly, the fact that their SDKs or cloud services impact API access decisions or runtime trust makes them high-value targets in a supply chain.
When security vendors have a SOC 2 Type II report, this shows that internal practices are documented, audited, and continuously monitored — reducing friction during due vendor selection.
✅ When Do Security Vendors Need to Demonstrate SOC 2?
|
Scenario |
SOC 2 Status Becomes Important |
|
Enterprise sales (midmarket & up) |
SOC 2 increasingly requested in procurement |
|
Regulated verticals (finance, health, insurance) |
Often required as part of vendor review |
|
Mobile SDK is embedded in customer app |
SDKs treated as part of customer’s own attack surface |
|
Vendor issues or signs tokens for API access |
Now in critical path of app trust model |
|
Vendor processes device/app metadata |
Customer must validate handling & storage controls |
|
Shared dashboards or analytics platforms |
Access to user/system data triggers SOC 2 scope |
Conclusion
If your organization has, or is pursuing SOC 2 compliance, don’t overlook your mobile app ecosystem — especially the APIs your apps rely on and the security vendors you integrate to protect them.
- Mobile apps are part of the trust boundary — if attackers can impersonate them, SOC 2 controls break down.
- Security vendors (like mobile attestation or API protection services) that issue tokens or process sensitive data must meet the same auditability and security standards.
- SOC 2 thinking needs to extend end-to-end — from backend to mobile client to every API request in between.
Protecting your APIs starts with proving trust in the apps calling them — and that includes the systems you rely on to enforce it.
FAQ
Does SOC 2 apply to mobile app security?
- Yes. SOC 2 applies to any component that processes or protects customer data — including mobile apps and their APIs.
Do mobile security vendors need SOC 2 compliance?
- If a vendor issues tokens, processes device metadata, or controls API access, they are part of your compliance boundary — and should meet SOC 2 standards.
What does SOC 2 Type II mean for mobile vendors?
- It shows that the vendor not only designed appropriate controls, but also followed them consistently over time — critical for trust and procurement.
George McGregor
VP Marketing, Approov
George is based in the Bay Area and has an extensive background in cyber-security, cloud services and communications software. Before joining Approov he held leadership positions in Imperva, Citrix, Juniper Networks and HP.
