Mobile App Security: 8 Steps You Should Take To Enhance It

From paying your electricity bills and scheduling an appointment to booking the next movie tickets, these days, everything is done online, thanks to mobile applications. These virtual bits of technology connect servers and APIs around the globe to provide users with services, data, convenience, and value.

Although mobile apps appear extremely useful and powerful, they hide various dangers and concerns that aim to compromise their security and database. In addition, the fact that mobile apps save sensitive information makes them prime targets for fraudulent activity. A report claims that over 56% of the top paid iOS apps have been hacked, along with the top 100 paid Android apps on Google Play Store.

Therefore, you must ensure your mobile app security and safeguard user information from a deadly attack that could cost your clients and cause a major hit to your company. You've come to the perfect place if you're into mobile app development and seeking cybersecurity advice. This article explains the top 8 practices you can use to secure mobile apps.

Mobile App Security Issues: A Quick Overview

Poor permission, faulty cryptography, inappropriate handling of sessions, and accidental data leaking are all common problems with mobile app security. Data leaking is the most prevalent of these problems. It is a result of the app data being kept in insecure places.

E-commerce apps frequently experience bad speaking session handling problems. As a result, the creators of these apps permit extended sessions, which reduces delays associated with the purchasing procedure.

Top 8 Tips To Secure Your Mobile Apps

While it may seem difficult, protecting your mobile application from security risks is possible with the correct techniques. So, let's talk about some important tactics you can use to accomplish this.

1. Safeguard Your Network Connections

The mobile app's servers should have enough security measures to safeguard data and thwart any form of illegal access. In addition, access to APIs must be restricted so that nobody outside your company can use them without authorization.

One method for making secure containers for storing documents and data is containerization. The process consists of bundling an app with its libraries, dependencies, and configuration files to run it flawlessly across various computer platforms.

If you want to test the security of your app, you can engage a penetration tester. Any weaknesses can be found and addressed by qualified experts in this field. In addition, it's a good idea to use to encrypt the database for additional security measures using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Secure Transport Layer (TLS), and Private Internet Access (VPN).

Developers can also employ federation, which disperses resources over several servers and isolates crucial resources from users, to increase mobile app security further.

2. Don't Forget Top Encrypt Local Data

Attacks can be more easily launched against user-stored data on smart devices. Therefore, only encrypting sensitive information kept by the user, such as financial information, is advised because encrypting all data may harm the user experience.

Users can access on-device encryption with the most recent Android OS versions. Applications like CoverMe are required for previous versions to accomplish this. Developers utilize file-level encryption, a technique to secure data file-by-file, to encrypt data at rest. Sensitive user data, such as passwords and credit card information, shouldn't be directly saved on a device by apps. If an app asks you to save data, be sure the data is encrypted for enhanced mobile app security.

It would help if you used the following techniques to encrypt the mobile database:

• Usage of the OutSystems Ciphered Local Storage Plugin.
• Utilize the Appcelerator program's SQLite module.
• Use file-level encryption, which protects data by individual files, to encrypt data while it is at rest.

3. Disguise Your Code

Obfuscation is a tactic used to perplex a hacker by producing difficult-to-understand machine or source code. You can do this by manually removing unnecessary metadata and debugging data. As a result, the attacker has less information available to him, thus resulting in improved mobile app security.

One can encrypt portions or all of the code as part of manual obfuscation. Another tactic is adding useless labels to variable and class names as prefixes. Some programmers add dummy code to the program while preserving the logic of the program. Injecting anti-tamper protection into the source code is an alternative strategy. The program randomly crashes or shuts down without warning when anything is modified in the code. You will also provide details about tampering with the developers or other relevant authorities involved in mobile app development.

Here are some tips on secured code development:

• To make your code's security harder, use code signing procedures.
• Reduce the size of your code and obfuscate it to prevent theft.
• Make sure your code is simple to update and patch.
• Check your code for problems and correct them frequently by performing mobile application security testing.
• Keep your code flexible so that you can rectify a breach with a real-time update at the user end.

4. Develop A Strong API Strategy

Application Program Interfaces (APIs) are the primary channels for content and data flow between applications, cloud spaces, and users. Through an application programming interface, mobile applications can communicate with one another. Unfortunately, APIs are easily susceptible to hacker assaults. So, protecting your API is crucial for your web and mobile app security.

If the functioning of your app depends on another party's API, proceed with caution. It implies that you depend on the security of their code. To reduce vulnerability, make sure the APIs of your app gives access to only the required components of your app.

Here are a few tips for avoiding hacks:

• Using approved APIs
• Embedding a gateway API
• Carrying out code reviews
• Placing a firewall for web applications
• Using two-step authentication and tokens

Also Read: App Development Cost: 8 Hidden Costs of Mobile Apps & How to Handle Them

5. Make Use Of High-Level Authentication Process

Multiple security breaches may occur as a result of inadequate Authentication. Therefore, it is important to obtain a strong one, which mostly applies to passwords. Users should be urged to use extreme caution while choosing their passwords. In addition, the mobile app development process should consider that you should create apps in a way that only requires tougher passwords.

One effective method to increase mobile app security is 2-Factor Authentication. The user must enter a code, which you will email to their registered phone number or email address. The more modern authentication methods are safer since they use biometrics like fingerprint or retinal scans.

6. Test Your App Over & Over Again

Unfortunately, some programmers ignore this section. They no longer focus on testing as long as their apps are available on the App Store. However, testing before and after launch is essential if your app stands out in terms of use and security.

Your app's code should be tested and evaluated to ensure it is secure. You can test your mobile app indefinitely. The testing process entails the following:

• Examining difficulties with data security
• Session control
• Authentication
• Authorization

Create test cases for your app based on common security dangers and problems; these tests should span all OS versions and phone models. Here are some pointers for assessing your mobile app security:

• Make a fake DDMS file and offer a fake location. It can prevent drivers from sending fake GPS coordinates from their mobile devices.
• Make that the authentication tokens are not stored in any app log files.
• Verify whether a driver's specific data is accessible after logging in.
• Please verify that the drivers may view the data according to their access privileges.
• For web services, verify the login authentication token's encryption.

7. Make Use Of Updated Libraries

Libraries are one frequent object vulnerable to attacks. The length of your code closely relates to risk. Therefore, use the most recent versions of the libraries while developing a mobile app to prevent security flaws. It holds whether the code is proprietary, open-source, or both. While numerous crucial CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) are published for third-party libraries, it is frustrating that the programs that use themes are not swiftly patched.

8. Impose Access Policies

The creation of mobile applications must adhere to the IT administrators' administrative regulations. In addition, it should adhere to Apple Store and Google Play Store requirements. Utilizing safe frameworks makes it feasible to lessen the attack on your application.

Final Thoughts

Today's mobile app development companies need to be aware of all the dangers associated with the internet. In conclusion, it would be nearly impossible for a hacker to access your app if you use every technique we just discussed.

But it's equally critical to:

• Keep up with the most recent cybersecurity technologies & approaches to further protect your app.
• Keep an eye out for attacker mistakes that lead to attacks and data breaches.
• For the greatest outcomes, enlist the assistance of mobile app development businesses & mobile app security professionals.

Appicial Applications is a leading taxi app development company expertise in Taxi apps - RiderShare, InDriver, Uber, Didi. If you are interested in creating a mobile application with higher security, contact Appicials' innovative team of developers. So call us right away at +91-886-021-3347!