8 Measures To Optimize Your Mobile App Security

Any hassle-free business needs a secure and safe mobile application that can perform all activities smoothly online!

Safety and security are always prioritized by online businesses and brands. With over 2000 cyber attacks every day, mobile applications are no exception. You need to safeguard your business mobile application from multiple cyber attacks like data leaks, data thefts, IP thefts, malware attacks, etc. With proper security measures, you can prevent major concerns about putting your mobile app, brand, and customers at risk.

To make a proper plan for your mobile application’s security, you need a guideline or a blueprint of what to do. We are here to help you out and come up with a simple mobile app security checklist that any enterprise can follow.

8 Preventive Measures For Mobile App Security

There is always a consistent risk of theft, hacking, and other suspicious attacks on your business mobile application. But there are also some protective and preventive measures that can ensure a better-protected mobile app.

Let’s learn about the mobile app security checklist that you should definitely consider for enhanced and seamless performance.

Secure Your Mobile App’s Source Code

A secure source code for your mobile application is the first priority of any mobile app development service provider. Though open-source code is widely in use by app makers while programming, but it possesses a risk of hacking. The hackers might reverse engineer or overwrite the source code easily. Additionally, your mobile app can be cloned easily with it too. Therefore, when your mobile application’s source code is open, a preventive measure is always the best choice.

As hackers may try to attack the open-source code with malware or alter it, you can protect your source code with any protective software or a code-signing certificate. To prevent any kind of cyber assault, there is various security software available that can obfuscate the code. This means that it will be difficult for the hackers to alter the source code by changing class, method, and attribute names with haphazard letters or characters.

If somehow, the cyber assaulters bypass the mobile app security software, you can get certified with code signing certificates. The code-signing certificates help prevent malware multiplication and make it unsusceptible to hackers. Such certificates safeguard your data, information, and files completely by inserting private keys into the code.

Employ Tamper-Detection Tools

Learning about various security measures for the source code, let’s learn about another safeguarding strategy- tamper detection tools.

There are multiple tools and software engineered to prevent different kinds of malicious attacks on your mobile application. A tamper-detection tool is one that tactically deals with various suspicious activities related to your mobile app’s code.

By installing tamper detection tools, you will receive warning signals whenever your mobile app’s source code is tampered with. The countless warnings indicate that your app code is altered or overwritten or infiltrated. The tamper detection software ensures that the code is not mutated and various strategies are employed. The various tampering attempts are injection attacks, binary patching, an altercation in source code, etc.

Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication Provision For Strong Password Preservation

Password preservation is a crucial and preventive security measure for any mobile application. Enforcing strong and high-level authentication reduces the risk of unauthorized access and password-guessing attacks. Whenever there is any kind of password breach, the mobile app is programmed in such a way that it automatically takes corrective measures. The multi-factor authentication is a big help in this regard.

As with multi-factor authentication for password preservation, the mobile app has higher security. There are multiple layers of security checks with multi-factor authentication like biometrics, pins, facial recognition, calls, messages, security questions, OTPs, captcha, etc. This way whenever there is an unwanted login or transaction, the multi-layer authentication will minimize the security risks.

Encrypt Communication Between The App & Servers

Encrypting mobile communication is very important in preventing data leakage and theft. Mobile communication means the communication and exchange of data between mobile applications and app servers over cellular or Wi-Fi networks. Attackers may sneak in between the communication and surge threats. Therefore, powerful encryption for mobile applications and servers is in need.

Encrypted communications leverage private keys and SSL keys to bind all the files and data digitally. This way all your information about your customers, transactions, sensitive data, etc are safeguarded and preserved from unauthorized access and from being downloaded to the end user’s phone.

Isolate Your Mobile App Workspace To Prevent Sudden Data Leaks

On any mobile device, there are multiple other applications that the user might use. Therefore, allowing the installation of various applications may also intrude on your safe and secure space. Thus you should create such a working space for your mobile app that will isolate itself from other apps.

There are multiple ways apart from password attacks in which your mobile app’s data can leak or theft can occur. You can incorporate these simple steps on your mobile as a precaution-

• Total control over clipboard entrance to stop sudden copy-and-paste functions
• Obstructing screen grabs or screen recordings
• Watermarking files with user’s timestamps and usernames from other susceptible files
• Interfering or restraining from sudden downloads of confidential information on the devices
• Reframing from saving important information on connected drives or file-sharing sites.
• Restriction on access to the location of the device

Implement Runtime App Self-Protection (RASP)

Runtime Application Self-Protection or RASP features are very crucial for runtime threats and defending against them immediately. It monitors the mobile application in real-time and always keeps it under supervision by analyzing both the context and all the behavior that occurs. Whenever there is any kind of suspicious activity or any kind of malicious activity is in production, the RASP tool hinders it. For example, whenever there is any kind of unauthorized access, or suspicious call for a database, etc, RASP tools secure and protect the application.

Additionally, it safeguards the mobile app against SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting attacks, account takeovers, etc.

Install SAST Analysis Tool

Static Application Security Testing or SAST strategy helps in analyzing and investigating if there are any loopholes in the mobile application’s security or code. This tool helps in identifying vulnerabilities in the app code, and susceptible attacks. It also helps in avoiding unpredictable threats by patching up security loopholes and by taking adequate action. Not to mention, it helps in penetration testing looking out for malicious, hazardous, and unauthorized access as well as decryption of data in the mobile app. Connect with any mobile app development service provider in India and tell them to install one for future assessments.

Protect & Secure Your Mobile APIs

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are vital for integrating your mobile app with third-party interfaces or devices and thereby increasing the functionality as well as the speed of your mobile app. API security encompasses access controls, privacy, threat detection, etc which makes it an important part of mobile app security.

High-quality APIs ensure that all the data and information on your mobile application is not exposed or swapped. It also allows heterogeneous systems to interconnect and helps in the smooth facilitation of data as well as information. Additionally, it remediates whenever any hacker is trying to directly access your mobile app by interacting with the API.

Conclusion-

Securing mobile applications is a major concern for business owners and enterprises alike. These practices will help you to understand what initiatives you can undertake to secure your mobile app and prevent it from cyber assaults.

Here are some of the minute steps that you as a mobile app owner should keep in mind-

• Periodically scan for malware and adware using various testing tools
• Do not store sensitive information or data on the device. Only store sensitive information in files, data stores, and databases.
• Use passwords on cached data to reduce the vulnerabilities and access to sensitive information
• Update the mobile app to ensure that it is optimized and has the latest fixes.