Top Mobile App Security Best Practices for Developers

The invention of the mobile phone has increased global internet users. While more and more people are accessing the internet through mobile devices, there is an increase in mobile apps. The global mobile app revenue has already reached 462 billion USD. Whether you’re watching the news or doing online shopping, there is nothing that mobiles can’t do. Thus, your mobiles are creating large volumes of data that need to be protected and managed wisely. The increased use of mobile applications has increased the worries of the developers due to the rise in data production that has, in turn, raised the eyebrows for the security considerations in Mobile App.

What is The Importance of The Security Considerations in Mobile App?

Security is all about managing the data created by the mobile development applications. The continuous internet connectivity increases the risk of the data reaching unauthorized hands. This internet connection is not only attracting the apps from unreliable resources but also generating malware. A quick look at the mobile app security statistics indicates that:

• More than 50% of the top financial apps lack effective security features.
• More than 43% of mobile application creation complications have agreed to sacrifice mobile security in 2019.
• There is a decrease in more than 50% of mobile banking apps due to security issues only.

Thus, there is an urgent demand for the implementation of the best security policies in mobile apps. The statistics hint at the increase in the global data breaches that have increased during the times of remote working due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.

Further, the importance of mobile security is not only about acting after the data breaches. It is all about staying prepared for the possible data attacks and preparing the systems accordingly. It starts with the creation of mobile apps. Thus, it becomes crucial to understand the loopholes in the mobile apps and then prepare the apps accordingly that they are not vulnerable to possible data attacks.

Top Ten Mobile App Security Considerations:

Mobile app development companies understand that it is not a single-day work. It is a dedicated process that has numerous stages of design, development, coding, and testing. Looking at the increasing security concerns, it becomes a mandate to understand the security levels involved in all these development stages. Thus, developers should know about these loopholes and create apps that are almost secure from data breaches. So, here are the top ten and leading security considerations in Mobile App for the developers:

1. Data encryption:

A large number of security attacks occur during the transmission of mobile data only. Thus, it becomes crucial to ensure the best data encryption policies to protect the data during transmission. It is important when the majority of the apps are using remotely located servers that require the daily transmission of data. Thus, encrypting the data for transmission ensures that it is not possible to access it without decryption.

It further ensures that even if the data gets stolen by hackers or falls into the hands of unauthorized users, it is of no use to them. Without decryption, the stolen data stays protected, and hence it is one of the top security considerations in Mobile App development.

2. Use of authorized APIs:

The application program interface or API gives developers the power to access multiple applications on different platforms. Thus, it is a door to new applications or platforms and hence is prone to security breaches. There are multiple APIs available in the market that includes the one that is not authorized. Thus, securing the second position in the security standards in mobile app development is using authorized APIs. Developers are using the central authorization for multiple APIs used in mobile apps.

3. Using temper-detection technologies:

Have you seen multiple security alerts related to the apps on your mobile recently?  These are a part of the temper-detection technologies that create automatic alerts whenever there are some changes to the codes of the specific mobile apps. These alerts indicate the injection of the bad code or unauthorized access to the codes. Thus, the security considerations in Mobile App demands best-dedicated triggers to maintain the best log of all the activities.

4. Effective session management:

Effective session management is another leading security considerations in Mobile App. It is observed that the in-app sessions on the mobiles are lengthy compared to the desktop applications. Imagine your mobile has different banking apps with your details logged in. The loss of your mobile causes a threat to the data in the mobile due to the logged-in app session. Thus, developers are creating mobile apps that have the option to wipe off the history and log out the session remotely.

5. Going for continuous testing:

The internet has added the dynamic feature to data management. Data created on the internet is increasing with the passage of every second. So, how can the security considerations in Mobile App remain static? Thus, it becomes crucial to run continuous testing for your mobile apps. Thus, developers are constantly using the security patches and introducing the required updates and versions of the security levels.

6. Writing a secure code:

The next part of the security concerns with mobile app development is writing a secure code for the application. Code is the heart of any application. Thus, developers are using secure hack-proof coding for demanding mobile apps. Security remains a core of the entire mobile app lifecycle management that starts by writing a secure code. Hence the mobile apps so created are free from all possible backdoors for infringement by hackers.

7. Using the top cryptography tools:

The cryptography techniques in mobile app development are another important security considerations in Mobile App. While the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is an internationally accepted standard for symmetric data security in mobile apps, there are certain less secure versions. The cryptography algorithms and protocols like SHA1 and MD5 are not sufficient according to the modern security standards in mobile app development. The trends are on for the leading encryption standards like 256-bit AES and the SHA-256 for hashing. The use of penetration testing and threat modeling is further beneficial to avoid any possible attacks on your mobile apps. These cryptography tools ensure that the passwords and keys are never stored on the local servers. Thus, eliminating the chances of password hacking and unauthorized access to the accounts.

8. Defining the levels of access:

The codes in the mobile app can’t be accessed by all the persons involved in its use and development at once. Thus, it is the duty of the developer to allow the levels of access to streamline the entire process. It is simple to allow the coding access to only individuals who’re in the process and crucial to managing the applications. This defined access eliminates the chances of the unauthorized entry of the devices into the systems. Thus, developers allow limited privileges to the different persons involved in the mobile app development.

9. Using a high-level authentication:

The security considerations in Mobile App cover the authentication process of the app users. It works simply by the app sending a request to the user’s credentials to the backend server. The server then verifies the credentials, and if found correct, the server creates a new session with a random session ID. The different mobile level authentication involves touch ID, face recognition, patterns, PINs, etc. These personal identifiers act as one of the first lines of defense for any mobile app. Thus, while creating the apps related to banking, healthcare, etc., developers create sensitive high-level authentication. Many mobile applications use strong alphanumeric passwords, multi-factor authentication and use a combination of static and dynamic OTPs. The leading apps are working on IOS, Android, etc., are using retina scans, fingerprints, etc., for user authentication.

10. Using safe third-party libraries:

The use of third-party libraries creates a door for hackers to enter the mobile app code. Thus, it is crucial for the developers to run the testing and go for the safe third-party libraries only. Thus, the Android app development should actively involve the internal repositories and exercises the policy controls to remain at the top of the third-party libraries involved in the process. Many developers are testing the codes taken from the third-party libraries before implementing them in the mobile app lifecycle management. It thus, eliminates the chances of malicious code and system crashing that are entered through these third-party libraries.

Wrapping Up:

Security is of utmost importance especially, when the world is set to enter a new era of digitization. With the increase in the internet dependency and use of Internet-of-Things (IoT), it becomes a regular job for the developers to understand and implement the top security considerations in Mobile App. Whether it is about code creation, permissions, library uses, and many more, staying prepared ahead of time is the key to a safe and secure mobile app creation. Further, the continuous testing and monitoring of the mobile apps ensure that there are no loopholes unnoticed by the developers.

Blog Source: 10 Security Considerations in Mobile Application Development