NowSecure unveils MARI for app risk

Mobile apps are small software packages, but they can carry other companies’ code, remote services and artificial intelligence tools inside them. NowSecure said on April 28 it added new Mobile App Risk Intelligence capabilities to expose those hidden parts in third-party apps. (nowsecure.com) The Chicago company said the update shows whether an app contains embedded artificial intelligence or large language model components, what software development kits and libraries it includes, and where app data flows at the country level. (nowsecure.com 1) (nowsecure.com 2) NowSecure said the goal is to help information technology, endpoint and security managers decide faster whether to allow or block apps used on corporate phones. The company said MARI is available now. (nowsecure.com) (markets.businessinsider.com) The problem MARI is aimed at is straightforward: a mobile app can look harmless in an app store listing while still containing opaque code, analytics tools or model calls that send data to outside providers. NowSecure said conventional review methods often miss that behavior before a company approves the app. (siliconangle.com) (nowsecure.com) NowSecure tied the launch to a broader rise in artificial intelligence inside mobile software. The company said its recent testing of 50,000 mobile apps found that 53% contained artificial intelligence components. (nowsecure.com) (helpnetsecurity.com) This is an expansion of MARI rather than a brand-new product line. NowSecure first launched Mobile App Risk Intelligence in October 2024 to score third-party apps from Apple’s App Store and Google Play for security, privacy and compliance risks. (nowsecure.com 1) (nowsecure.com 2) The company has been building partnerships around that data. In March 2026, iVerify said it would integrate NowSecure’s MARI data into its enterprise mobile endpoint detection and response platform so security teams could assess apps installed across managed devices. (iverify.io) (nowsecure.com) NowSecure is pitching the new release as governance software as much as a security scanner. Its product page says MARI produces plain-language summaries, fuller findings and exportable reports for audit, compliance and app approval workflows. (nowsecure.com 1) (nowsecure.com 2) The company’s message is that mobile app review is shifting from checking permissions to tracing hidden dependencies. For employers deciding which apps can run on work phones, that means asking not just what an app does, but what else is riding along inside it. (nowsecure.com) (siliconangle.com)