From hype to hardening: Vibe coding and mobile application security

Coding at the speed of instinct

Software development is undergoing a fundamental transformation. As AI coding assistants mature and generative workflows become mainstream, the process for creating software is shifting from structured engineering to a style that is more improvisational, more conversational, and increasingly, independent from direct developer generation. This is the world of vibe coding, where “the hottest new programming language is English,” according to Andrej Karpathy.

Karpathy coined the term ‘vibe coding’ in 2025. It has rapidly gained traction to describe a development style where engineers (or non-engineers) code by feel, “forgetting that code even exists”. In practice, this means developers lean heavily on large language model (LLM) tools like GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, or Replit to generate logic spontaneously. The developer’s role shifts from writing every line of code to guiding outcomes through high-level prompts, verbal commands, or iterative edits in their natural language. The code itself becomes transient, disposable, and often unexamined. As Gartner puts it:

“Vibe coding transcends AI-augmented development tools to envision a new state of human-computer interaction. Developers become composers, using voice recognition or light keyboarding to rapidly prototype complex yet throwaway, not-for-production software.”

[Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Application Security, 2025, p. 12]

The intention may be experimental, but the reality is commercial. Vibe-coded logic is increasingly shipped without traditional security and quality scrutiny, often to production environments. In mobile development especially, where speed, UX, and platform agility dominate, this shift creates a significant and fast-expanding gap in mobile application security.

A diagram of a workflow

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

A vibe coding workflow does not include a code review process. This is because vibe coding specifically means accepting AI output without review. In this way, vibe coding is different from the general use of AI-assistance in the development process. However, it should be noted that some teams might use vibe coding for rapid prototyping in sandboxed environments and then apply proper review/testing before production.

Vibe coding and mobile: A perfect storm for security gaps

Vibe coding aligns perfectly with how many mobile teams work today. Mobile development prioritizes fast iteration, A/B or split testing, and continuous deployment. Developers build and ship MVPs, onboarding flows, and new features with aggressive timelines and minimal process overhead. AI tools accelerate this even further by enabling secure fast prototyping of full app flows in hours rather than days.

But this speed comes at a security cost.

Find out more: Secure your AI-powered mobile apps against next-gen attacks

Mobile apps face unique attack surfaces. Unlike web applications, mobile apps are deployed directly to user devices, where attackers can extract, analyze, and modify the binary. Common threats include reverse engineering mobile apps, repackaging, API abuse, memory tampering, dynamic instrumentation, and logic manipulation. When applications are built using unstructured or AI-generated code without proper hardening, they become easy targets for attackers.

This is not theoretical. According to the Gartner Hype Cycle for Application Security 2025:

“By 2027, at least 30% of application security exposures will result from usage of vibe coding practices.”

[Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Application Security, 2025, p.1]

Once again, mobile is the most vulnerable layer. It's the final delivery point of code that may have been rushed, prompted, or vibe coded. But it now operates in hostile environments, often holding sensitive data or business logic.

Why traditional AppSec can’t catch up

The foundations of modern secure mobile app development were built for environments that assumed linear workflows, disciplined reviews, and clearly defined ownership. Practices like static code analysis, secure coding guidelines, and shift-left testing are optimized for teams that plan and validate code generation.

Vibe coding breaks this model. It’s not only that developers are skipping steps; the steps themselves no longer exist in the same way. A junior developer might deploy AI-generated code for login flows without ever writing an authentication check. A product owner might prompt a chatbot to generate a working subscription module and push it to QA without a security review.

Gartner notes this problem explicitly:

“Code produced by vibe coding is in no way intended for production use today.”

“Much hype is being generated, and it is important to understand it clearly, as there are profound implications; the advancement of low-code, AI coding assistants and vibe coding may alter the need for traditional professional coding. In addition, the risks of implementing this improperly are very high.”

[Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Application Security, 2025, p. 14]

Yet this code ships anyway. Why? Because it works, it appears finished, and most importantly, there’s market pressure to release. This creates so-called Copilot security risks: potential vulnerabilities and weaknesses introduced when developers use GitHub Copilot (or similar AI coding assistants) to generate code. It raises vital new questions around non-traditional developers and security practices.

Runtime protection: The only line of defense that moves fast enough

Runtime protection is essential for all mobile apps, not just those with vibe-coded elements. Properly reviewed and tested apps face reverse engineering, repackaging, and API abuse once deployed to untrusted devices, just like those that are vibe coded. Runtime protection addresses these threats regardless of how the code was written or tested.

Nevertheless, in a vibe-coded world, runtime mobile app protection becomes all the more urgent. If code can't be trusted before deployment, it must be secured after.

Gartner highlights application shielding as a critical innovation:

“Application shielding prevents and detects attacks such as tampering and reverse engineering. It is an in-app protection technology, meaning its capabilities are implemented directly within the application, rather than in-line or on the hosting system. Application shielding can be used for any type of application, but there is currently a particular focus on mobile apps.”

[Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Application Security, 2025, p. 74]

Unlike static testing or code scanning, shielding embeds post-compile protection directly into the app binary. This allows security to function independently of how code was written. And this is the feature that makes it ideal for protecting mobile binaries created through vibe coding. These approaches also align with Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) principles but are optimized for the constraints and challenges of mobile platforms.

A diagram of a security system

AI-generated content may be incorrect. Gartner considers application shielding in the “slope of enlightenment phase” where “focused experimentation and solid hard work by an increasingly diverse range of organizations lead to a true understanding of the innovation’s applicability, risks and benefits. Commercial off-the-shelf methodologies and tools ease the development process.” (p. 3A). Promon is recognized as a Sample Vendor of application shielding (Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Application Security, 2025, p. 76).

From prototype to production: How vibe code slips through

One of the most dangerous myths about vibe coding is that it's only used for internal tests or early-stage prototyping. But as feature toggles, live experimentation, and continuous delivery become standard, it’s increasingly common for AI-generated code to end up in production.

For mobile, the transition from prompt to production often bypasses security entirely. Vibe-coded flows, integrated SDKs, or backend endpoints are deployed based on functionality rather than architecture. And because mobile binaries run client-side, the risks of AI-generated code in mobile apps become immediate: theft, tampering, and data leakage, to name a few.

This is where runtime mobile app protection becomes critical. It allows teams to secure what they shipped even if the code was generated outside a secure SDLC, as with vibe coding.

What security leaders need to do now

Security leadership must reframe assumptions about code security. In a world increasingly shaped by vibe coding, AppSec can no longer rely on upstream controls. Here’s how to respond.

Assume every mobile build may include vibe-coded logic

Even enterprise-grade teams are using AI coding assistants like Copilot to move faster. Without proper safeguards, this creates a blind spot. Vibe-coded logic may bypass secure inputs, leak secrets, or use insecure defaults.

Enforce runtime protection as a standard, not a supplement

If vibe-coded features escape review, they must be protected at runtime. That means shielding binaries against reverse engineering, injecting application hardening for mobile teams, and enabling detection of hostile execution environments. Runtime protection isn't a patch. It's a baseline standard for application security.

Deliver security that doesn’t break flow

The hallmark of vibe coding is speed and high productivity, as software developers search for “flow” or optimal experience when coding. Any friction or barriers to focus will be ignored. To enable this culture, teams need frictionless app security: tools that work post-compile, deploy via CI/CD, and require zero refactoring or developer involvement.

Understand the stakeholder landscape

Vibe coding changes the risk profile across roles:

Mobile engineering leaders need to ship fast and must trust that code is protected regardless of its origin.

AppSec teams face security vulnerabilities from AI coding they didn’t review or approve.

Product managers greenlight features built by non-traditional contributors.

Compliance teams must defend outputs created by generative workflows they can’t easily audit.

In this context, mobile app protection tools that embed security into the binary become essential, regardless of how or when the code was written.

What happens when vibe coding goes mainstream?

Gartner categorizes vibe coding as “emerging” in maturity and in the “innovation trigger” phase. The shift from code-as-craft to code-as-conversation is accelerating. Gartner projects that “by 2027, at least 30% of AppSec exposures will result from usage of vibe coding practices,” which we believe further supports the idea that it's on a steep adoption curve, not yet widespread. But its trajectory is rising and its momentum strong. A screenshot of a computer screen

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

In a few years, developers may become orchestrators more than authors. Code will be written by agents. Non-traditional developers will create and deploy mobile features through natural language alone. Prompt-based workflows will replace traditional IDEs. As that happens, AI-generated code security becomes both a necessity and a strategic differentiator.

Mobile applications will absorb more unstructured, AI-driven logic. They will become faster to build but easier to attack, clone, or manipulate. Unless defenses evolve in parallel, the industry will see a spike in fraud, reverse engineering, and compliance failures. The solution for this future threat is the application of runtime security that is default, invisible, and embedded into every mobile app from day zero.

The business case: Protecting IP, trust, and revenue in a vibe-driven world

The business case for mobile runtime security is concrete, direct, and measurable.

Today’s mobile apps house revenue logic, payment flows, entitlements, and proprietary experiences. Vibe-coded features are often shipped with minimal review, increasing the risk of exploitation. For example, an AI-generated loyalty feature could be cloned. A prompt-coded session manager could leak tokens. A hardcoded entitlement bypass could enable fraud.

Application shielding prevents these exposures. It defends the binary and ensures that reverse engineering in Android/iOS apps is detected and blocked. And it protects the app even when no human wrote the code. As mobile apps become more autonomous, security must do the same.

What questions should security leaders be asking?

Are any of our production features built with vibe coding or AI-generated code?

Do we have post-compile mobile app security in place to protect them?

Have we assessed the risks of AI-generated code in mobile apps?

Are our runtime protections autonomous and invisible to developers?

Can we protect outputs created by non-traditional developers or LLM agents?

Can we demonstrate compliance even if the code was never reviewed?

These operational questions will define how organizations adapt to the new speed of software creation.

Secure the flow, don’t fight it

The latest Gartner Hype Cycle makes one point clear: “vibe coding must be considered by enterprises that prioritize innovation and rapid learning cycles with focus group customers.”

Vibe coding is reshaping how apps are built. Secure mobile app development must evolve accordingly.

Traditional security won’t scale; runtime protection will. When apps are built by instinct, speed, or AI, then security must be built into the runtime. That’s where the code lives now, too, however it was generated. This is how modern teams stay fast and stay protected. This is how Promon protects apps coded with AI tools.

Build security that moves at developer speed.

Find out from our security exerts how we can protect your runtime environments.

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