Surfshark, one of the best VPNs on the market, has had its Android app MASA certified, earning a security badge on the Google Play Store.
Surfshark’s Android app has undergone a MASA (Mobile Application Security Assessment) audit to prove that it meets the industry-standard security requirements set by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWAP) members.
The audit confirms that Surshark’s Android app uses a secure encryption standard, a quality code, and trusted certificates and that it doesn’t keep any important data when your session ends, doesn’t request any unnecessary permissions, and doesn’t share data with third parties.
Surfshark’s app will now get an Independent Security Review badge on the Google Play store to signal to users that the app is secure to download and use. The security badge is visible in the search result when you search for the Surfshark app, and it’s also displayed in the “Data safety” section of the Surfshark page on Google Play.
Surfshark’s MASA audit comes after other top VPNs had their Android apps MASA audited, including ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost VPN, and NordVPN.
The Independent Security Review badge on Surfshark’s Android app will stay there for a year. Surfshark will then have to submit the app for another MASA audit to keep the badge on Google Play.
The badge was introduced as part of Google’s initiative to combat cybercrime linked to substandard apps. Users who are unsure whether the app they want to download is secure to use on an Android device can now just check whether it’s received the security badge.
“Although achieving baseline security standards doesn’t guarantee an app is completely vulnerability-free, this badge signifies a developer’s dedication to implementing robust security and privacy measures, affirming their commitment to user safety,” Nataliya Stanetsky, a member of Google’s Android Security and Privacy Team explained.