India has about 700 million smartphone users, with close to 14 billion UPI transactions worth ₹20 lakh crores happening on a monthly basis. Beneath the glossy veneer of consumer technology lies this complex ecosystem where smartphone innovation meets the necessity of digital commerce. And safeguarding these devices and the apps ecosystem inside them goes beyond a simple antivirus program. It’s about runtime defenses, cloud-based analytics, and AI-driven intelligence that adapt to evolving cyber threats, according to Pankaj Patankar, Head of Marketing for Protectt.ai Labs Pvt Ltd.
In an exclusive interview, Patankar explains how Protectt.ai is aiming to reshape the mobile app security landscape. What struck me most was Protectt.ai’s intense focus on real-time, in-app threat protection and the level of sophistication they bring to fighting the hidden – and sometimes not-so-hidden – adversaries lurking behind every suspicious link, tampered APK, or cleverly disguised piece of malware.
Mobile security is often portrayed as a tug-of-war between developers who patch vulnerabilities and hackers who exploit them. Protectt.ai flips this dynamic on its head. Their approach is not just to block known threats, but to anticipate and neutralize them as they happen.
“At Protectt.ai, our core strengths in the mobile app security landscape are centered around our advanced Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) technology, which sets us apart from competitors,” Patankar explained. The mention of RASP (Runtime Application Self-Protection) particularly piqued my interest. Rather than relying solely on perimeter defenses, RASP technology defends the app from within, making it harder for attackers to manipulate code or data.
As Patankar put it, “We leverage sophisticated AI and ML algorithms for enhanced threat detection, allowing us to adapt quickly to evolving attack vectors.” It’s a sentiment that encapsulates the company’s approach: treat security as a living, evolving system, not a static checklist of defenses.
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Traditional mobile antivirus solutions rely on signature-based detection, which are great for known threats but less effective against zero-day exploits or entirely new malware species. Protectt.ai, on the other hand, uses a cloud-based analysis system and next-gen runtime capabilities.
“Our RASP solution provides continuous, in-app security, detecting and responding to threats as they occur, ensuring immediate mitigation of vulnerabilities,” Patankar told me. This is critical because a threat can appear out of nowhere – a malicious snippet of code injected into a supposedly benign update, or a cleverly disguised phishing attempt exploiting a user’s trust in a familiar brand.
By maintaining a scalable cloud infrastructure, Protectt.ai can correlate threat intelligence across vast data sets. According to Patankar, “Our scalable cloud infrastructure enables efficient threat intelligence and provides actionable insights to strengthen our clients’ mobile app security posture.”
One might think that downloading apps only from official app stores like Google Play or Apple’s App Store provides ironclad safety. While these platforms do perform initial security scans, Patankar was quick to point out that their checks aren’t foolproof.
“Google Play Store conducts an initial security check before publishing apps, but this vetting process can still leave gaps, especially with advanced threats that evolve over time,” he explained. The truth is, attackers don’t stand still; they evolve. They reverse-engineer apps, tamper with code, and distribute malicious versions via phishing links. Once installed, these rogue apps can compromise user data or even carry out unauthorized financial transactions.
“Unlike Google Play’s static vetting, AppProtectt continuously monitors apps in real-time, detecting and neutralizing dynamic threats such as malware, reverse engineering, and tampering.” Patankar emphasised. It’s a proactive stance – while stores focus on a one-time approval, Protectt.ai ensures the app remains safe throughout its lifecycle.
When you think of mobile security, the word “antivirus” might come to mind. But as Patankar noted, antivirus solutions mainly target known malware strains. Today’s threats extend much further. Reverse engineering, debugging, root detection bypasses, API manipulation – the list goes on and on.
“AppProtectt provides 75+ security capabilities such as Anti-Malware, Unsecured Wi-Fi, Reverse Engineering, Decompilation, Debugging, Root Detection, App Tampering protection, Screen sharing and Screen Mirroring Fraud Protection.” All of that’s quite a mouthful, but it boils down to a comprehensive, layered defense that doesn’t just check for malware signatures – it watches for anything suspicious happening in the runtime environment.
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Patankar summed it up: “While traditional antivirus software covers known malware and viruses, AppProtectt offers multi-layered defense mechanisms tailored to safeguard apps from a wide range of sophisticated mobile security threats.”
Few industries exemplify the need for robust mobile security more than BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance). With millions of users performing sensitive transactions daily, a single breach can be catastrophic.
Patankar painted a vivid picture: “Our internal research suggests that more than 90% of apps in the BFSI sector are prone to reverse engineering.” That’s staggering, considering how many of us rely on mobile banking apps for everything from checking balances to making mortgage payments.
To drive the point home, he shared a real-world example: “For a leading private sector bank in India with 5+ million users, we implemented our solution. In 3 months, we saw an 87% reduction in screen mirroring cases.” That’s the kind of tangible result that stands out – less theoretical and more like a real-life intervention that prevents fraud and preserves trust.
Looking beyond the present, Patankar predicted emerging scenarios where the complexity of mobile apps would continue to grow. “Super apps are the future, combining multiple services like messaging, payments, shopping, and travel into a single platform,” he said. More functionalities mean broader attack surfaces, reinforcing the need for a robust, adaptive security posture.
AI-driven threat detection, behavioral analytics, and zero trust frameworks are all on the horizon. Patankar was optimistic: “By offering diverse functionalities under one roof, super apps boost user engagement and stickiness…These technologies will help identify and neutralize threats in real-time, often before the user is even aware, by analyzing patterns and anomalies in data.”
In other words, tomorrow’s mobile app security won’t just react to threats – it’ll anticipate them.
One negative about security solutions is often that they sacrifice user experience for protection. If apps become sluggish or start throwing false positives left and right, users lose patience – and possibly trust.
Patankar addressed this: “Protectt.ai uses deep technology solutions – advanced AI and machine learning to analyze threats. This helps enhance product security capabilities and minimize false positives.” The result? Users can go about their business without constantly encountering unnecessary red flags.
Balancing top-tier security with seamless usability is no small feat. Yet, Protectt.ai seems committed to ensuring their solutions become unobtrusive guards that work quietly in the background, delivering peace of mind without making daily tasks more complicated.
As we wrapped up our conversation, Patankar hinted at what’s next for Protectt.ai. “We are all set to expand our footprint in the USA, Dubai, and the MEA region. We’re set to launch a series of innovative products to secure the end-to-end user mobile app journey,” he confirmed. This forward momentum signals that mobile app security is no longer a niche concern. With cyber threats evolving daily, the industry – and Protectt.ai in particular – must remain agile, continually refining defenses and preempting new vulnerabilities.
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