Nowadays, with the growing popularity of smartphones, almost everyone uses mobile applications, but virtually no one thinks of their safety while using them. At the same time, when developing systems, everyone focuses on internal security but rarely protects mobile applications. We take a guarantee for granted and rely on our backs where there can be weak points.

Unsafe mobile applications are a real threat to the entire system. We store and process necessary data such as payments, bank information, access keys, medical, personal data, etc on our device.

Mobile app security issues are of particular concern in the Android or iPhone ecosystem. Due to the fact that it is an open system, it is more prone to data breaches at the operational level than iOS, closed systems, and all live updates. Android is very fragmented, so new versions of the system are implemented very slowly on customer devices, which directly slows down the increase in system-wide security. However, that doesn’t mean that your iOS system is entirely secure. There are threats related to data storage or communication with web servers (eg MITM attacks) that make your application vulnerable.

As smartphones become more affordable and data prices low worldwide, the number of users will double in the next few years. Our homes and workplaces are connected and form a network of networks. The software also connects to API servers around the world to provide data and services to users.

With cybercrime increasing all the time and systems being bombarded with threats every second, a robust and well-designed system must protect the entire network. Without this protection, companies are at the risk of compromising their applications and products and their customers’ sensitive and private information, which could lead to enormous economic loss and breaches of confidentiality, thereby devastating their reputation.

What can hackers do with your mobile applications 

• Inject malware and trojans into applications and devices. That way, they can access all of your data, keystrokes, and passwords.
• Fake your application code and serve it to the same fraudulent version.
• Capture sensitive information while performing tasks on your smartphone.
• Access your IP address, compromise your company’s security, and take advantage of your intellectual property.

Regardless of the purpose, the application serves you; it is essential to take appropriate precautions. This is all the more important for banking, e-commerce, and social networking applications that handle customers’ data and involve transactions.

What can you do to make your application more secure?

Application security is not linear. It’s multi-layered, and each layer’s protection is key to the overall safety of the application. Software code, the back network including customer data, databases, operating systems and APIs must be protected.

Here are some best ways to make your app more secure:

• Protect your application code

     The application code is of utmost importance. It should be the top priority of the organization. Although web applications tend to reside on very complex servers and the browser is just an interface, the native applications reside entirely on the user’s smartphone, making the code more vulnerable to attack.

Such vulnerabilities can arise either due to human coding errors by the developer, improper code testing or because of unfavorable situations that are the target of malicious hackers.

• The application code must be encrypted, which makes it difficult to read. Modern algorithms must use in conjunction with API encryption and obscurity and minimization.
• Testing the application code, together with source code, further reduces the risk of security breaches.
• The code has to be agile, as users won’t receive updates after their app has been compromised. The secure application code must be portable for the device and operating system.
• The code should be easy to fix and update.

Adding more and more security layers is essential, but it increases app size and can decrease performance. Therefore, things like file size, memory at runtime, data usage, battery usage, and account must consider.

Even though the store now only allows approved apps, that doesn’t mean they’re safe. It is best not to be dependable on it and keep changing your code to avoid data breaches.

• Protect your network.

    As well as protecting your code, you need to ensure that the servers your mobile app can access are secure. In this way, you can save your user data and prevent unauthorized access.

Make sure the API and people who have access to the server are verified. It allows you to protect the data that the client sends to the server and database.

You can increase your network security by an encrypted connection or by a virtual private network. If these two options are not possible, you may consider another security measure called containerization. This method makes an encrypted container best used for securing important documents and data.

1. Encrypt all data

    Encrypting your application code is not enough. The data exchanged within your application and on your server must also be encrypted.

Encryption means, even if the data is stolen, hackers can’t do anything with it. If they have access to it, they will only see letters and numbers.

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   Avoid storing sensitive data

   When designing your application, make sure you keep the data to a minimum to avoid risks. If possible, never store sensitive data on mobile devices or servers. This only increases the risk. However, if you need to store data, you should put it in an encrypted data container.

5. Protect data from leaks

   Before users interact with your app, they must accept specific permissions. It’s sad to say that they don’t always respect this permission, which allows some companies to use their personal information.

To ensure that your users’ user data is not leaked to third party hackers and vendors, you must be ethical about advertising and data ethics. Today many application developers pass user data to malicious vendors without their knowledge. You don’t have to be among them

6. High-level certification is mandatory

    As explained above, many security breaches result from low authentication. So it becomes more important to use stronger authentication. Authentication often links to a password. It is your responsibility as an app builder to help your users handle passwords. As an illustration, you can design your application to accept only strong alphanumeric passwords that can recover every three months.

Two-factor authentication is a good idea for implementing mobile apps. If the app has two-factor authentication enabled, the user will first be asked to enter a login code, which will be sent to their text or email. This includes biometric data such as retinal scans and fingerprints when we talk more about modern authentication methods.

7. Supports MAM / MDM integration

    Many companies have supported MAM (Mobile Application Management) and MDM (Mobile Device Management) to reduce device and application threats. This solution enables companies to create corporate stores for mobile applications for managed distribution.

When you provide built-in support from a leading MAM / MDM provider, you can rest assured that your mobile application’s security is on a different level.

8. Strong API security

Mobile device development relies on API (application program interface). Therefore, protecting your API is an integral part of keeping your mobile application safe. APIs are the main channel for content, data, and functions. Therefore, ensuring proper safety is an essential part of the chain.

Identification, authentication, and authorization are the most critical security measures that make up a well-built API. You can go a step further to enable the Escape API to increase your mobile app development companies’ security.

9. Protect device

     Not all security aspects depend on the developer. Suppose your device on which you have access to the application is compromised. In that case, there is a high chance of a security breach and information theft.

Avoid using a jailbroken iOS device or a rooted Android device as this will compromise built-in security protocols and make your phone/device more vulnerable to security threats. They also remove the warranty on the device, so this is something to watch out for.

Only download apps from trusted sources, along with the reader reviews, use a good antivirus for your smartphone to scan every application.

Conclusion

Mobile usage often increases when hackers try to steal sensitive information and compromise application security. With a reliable mobile security strategy and world-class mobile developers to help you react immediately to threats and bugs, your app is a safe and secure place for users. It protects their loyalty (and your tools) for the future.

Application developers must know the risks posed by cybersecurity threats and data breaches when building their mobile app development. By implementing the above mobile application security methods, you can protect the applications and data on them. This method is not difficult to implement. Application manufacturers and developers need a global approach to application development and must consider all circumstances that affect application security.