Checklist for Mobile App Security

Almost every business has a mobile app on which it gives various features and facilities to its customers. The app stores display and transmit sensitive data. A business app that does not use proper security protections can put corporate resources and personal information at risk, which can lead to fines.

Making source code more secure

Creating an impactful app and following every guideline to make it secure while leaving the source code open to anyone can result in security risks.

Most of the source code is often on the client side, such as UI and business logic. If this sensitive information gets into the wrong hands like hackers, then it could damage your business.

There is a process known as obfuscation, where the source code is changed in such a way so that it confuses the person who tries to read it and do some changes in it.

It does alteration in classes, attribute names to meaningless characters or names. The whole aim of this is to make the code too confusing so that nobody can understand it.

Making the files as well as database secure

It is not enough to secure the code. You need to make sure that the data that user enters in your website is secure, whether it is user credentials or payment information. Moreover, you must ensure that all this data is encrypted so that if any leakage happens, no harm comes to your website.

Making Communication more secure

It is not sufficient to secure your data at the generation and storage points only. You also need to make sure that transmission of data takes place through secure mediums such as VPN, SSL, TLS or Https.

If anybody is successful in entering your security, they will not be able to decode the data. Thus, security will not be affected. Otherwise, it will not be easy to tackle the security threat once it comes to your application.

Prevention is better than cure.

Using Data Portability

It is the process of making use of user data at several platforms and services. For instance, you might have seen various platforms like Pinterest, StackOverflow, and Quora that allow you to log in through your Facebook or Gmail account.

It helps you to take advantage of the security offered by the bigger companies. It is better and more secure than creating a new account from scratch, making it easy for a customer to log in and use his old account.

Creating new accounts every time and managing is really a tough task!

Utilize the potential against Reverse Engineering

It is mostly associated with android applications as it is an open source platform. It can be accessed easily and can be altered. Moreover, having knowledge of Java-based android environment, Linux or kernel in order to understand the procedure of protecting your mobile application from reverse engineering is a good idea.

Using Cryptography smartly

It does not guarantee the security of your application if you use hashing in your passwords or you encrypt your data in a unique form. In fact, improper cryptography is the most common problem for mobile applications.

You should overlook or completely avoid the usage of weak or broken algorithms and ensure that your code does not use these. Cryptography, if used properly, has enough potential to protect your application as well as data.

Input validation makes your application secure

Putting a validation on the user’s data can help you to check the data supplied by the user to avoid distorted data. Yes, it slows the speed but the value of using it cannot be neglected. One should use input validation to ensure the complete security of the mobile application.

Perform penetration testing

Penetration testing has a unique importance as it helps to scan a wide range of erroneous possibilities. Normal software testing is quite different from penetration testing.

Protect app data on your device

Developers should not store any sensitive data on the device. If it is necessary to store data on the device, then you need to convert it in confusing form and then you can store it in files, data stores, and databases.

Using the latest encryption technologies are suggested in order to get a security of high level.

Implement strong authentication and authorization systems

One of the most important steps towards application security is to use strong authentication and authorization systems that consider salient features like privacy, session management, identity management, and device security.

Understand the platform and frameworks

Most of the mobile apps developed nowadays run either on Google Android or Apple iOS. Fewer run on Windows devices and Blackberry devices. Organizations try to create apps that run on multiple operating systems. These apps are known as hybrid apps. There are various companies that provide you hybrid app development services.

Mobile developers need to understand how security works on each targeted OS and the various risks that can come in these apps. Preparation against security threats can reduce them to a large extent.

Security has always been an issue in the IT industry. And at present, hackers are using newer methods to hack various applications. Hence, it is must to stay updated with all the possible security checklists.

Summary

There are various ways that you can consider in order to make your mobile app secure:

• Make your source code secure using obfuscation. It is a method in which the source code is changed in a form which is quite confusing. Hence, in case, your code is in wrong hands, he would not be able to misuse it.
• Use cryptography in a smart way. Don’t use weak algorithms while using this technique. Cryptography when used in a proper way, can provide high-level security to mobile apps.
• Protect app data on the device. Do not store sensitive data on your mobile app. If necessary, encrypt it with the latest encryption technologies.
• Penetration testing. It is different from normal testing and is quite effective in making a mobile app secure.
• Utilizing the data portability. Using Data portability, you can use the security offered by big companies like Facebook and Google.
• Making communication secure. Use VPN, SSL, and HTTPS in order to make the transmission of data through a secure medium.
• Understand the platforms and frameworks. If you create hybrid apps, you need to understand how security works on every focused operating system.

Final words

I hope that this blog gives you clear information about security checklist for mobile app security. In case you have any suggestion or feedback, please use the comment box.

Checklist for Mobile App Security was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.