Securing your mobile app doesn’t have to be complicated. In this quick guide, I’ll show you how to use AppSweep, a free static analysis tool (SAST) from Guardsquare, to find vulnerabilities.

🧠 What is SAST?
SAST (Static Application Security Testing) analyzes your source code without running it. It’s an essential technique to catch security issues early in your development process.

🔍 SAST helps you detect:

  • Code injections
  • Data leakage
  • Misconfigurations
  • Insecure coding practices

🛡️ What is AppSweep?
AppSweep is a free security scanner by Guardsquare that analyzes Android apps. It scans your APK and gives you a detailed report with vulnerabilities, risks, and practical remediation tips.

✅ Free and easy to use
✅ CI/CD integration
✅ Actionable recommendations
✅ Based on OWASP MASVS, CWE, and industry standards

🚀 How to Use AppSweep

  1. Upload your APK to the AppSweep website, or
  2. Use the official CLI to automate scans in your workflow.

You’ll get a full report with detailed findings and recommendations to help you fix issues fast.

💻 Installing the CLI
To use AppSweep via the terminal or in CI pipelines, install the CLI:

npm install -g @guardsquare/appsweep-cli

Authenticate with your API key:

appsweep auth --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Then scan your APK:

appsweep scan --app-id YOUR_APP_ID ./path/to/your-app.apk

📦 CI/CD Integration
AppSweep works seamlessly with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, and others.

Example with GitHub Actions:

- name: Scan with AppSweep
  run: |
    npm install -g @guardsquare/appsweep-cli
    appsweep auth --api-key ${{ secrets.APPSWEEP_API_KEY }}
    appsweep scan --app-id ${{ secrets.APPSWEEP_APP_ID }} ./build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk

📊 Custom Reports
Export results in JSON for further processing or integration:

appsweep scan --app-id ... --output report.json

📦 Demo Repository
👉 Check out the full working example here:
🔗 https://github.com/Brunoenr02/AppSweepDemo

✅ Conclusion
With tools like AppSweep, adding security checks to your mobile development workflow is easy, fast, and free. Don’t wait for production to find critical issues—scan early and often!