Best Approaches to Smartly Integrate Security into Mobile App Development

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Mobile App Development

The number of mobile applications in the market is increasing, and so the availability of mobile apps for shopping, personal information, banking purposes, and other purposes is increasing. All these apps require high-end security. With acceleration in the mobile applications in the market, global organizations are looking forward to embracing the technology for enhancing communications with clients. In addition, these apps are needed for increasing employee productivity.

Businesses should hire a professional mobile app development company to integrate the best security for their mobile apps. 

A 2019 Guardsquare analysis suggested that less than 50 percent of the top financial apps use proper mobile application security. Even the businesses that never used the apps have been utilizing the apps to boost their business goals.

Mobile apps turn out to be the prime target for malicious activity, so enterprises should consider Mobile App Security standards for mobile apps. In addition, developing a secure mobile app must consider updated security measures. 

Some of the best practices that can be adopted for enabling enhanced security are as follows:

1) Source code encryption

Most of the native mobile app code turns out to be on the client-side, so the mobile malware can easily keep track of the bugs and malware. So, the attackers are always taking into consideration repacking the renowned apps using the reverse engineering technique. Q2 2020 updates suggest that Kaspersky detected 1,245,894 malicious installers that proved to be an increase of 93,232 over the previous quarter. 

Threats, including the organization’s reputation going downhill, are significant issues that the businesses are vulnerable to. And so, there is a need for implementation of the tools that can help with the detection of the security breaches and addressing them in the needed time. App development companies should always ensure that the applications are robust enough to prevent tampering and reverse engineering attacks. In addition, there is a need for encryption as one of the prime security features that can be the ideal way for defending the application from such attacks.

2) Threat modeling

Implementing security in app development is a must. The utilization of threat modeling helps the companies find all the weak areas even before the mobile app is developed and available for the users. Before launching the mobile app ideas to the public, always make sure that you find out the app’s weaknesses. 

This scenario helps developers and testers get the time for fixing the exposed application layer area. It also gives them adequate time for providing a solid base for the next phase of the application development.

3) Following the industry benchmarks

This is one of the significant ways you can ensure that the mobile application is free from vulnerabilities. Integrating security features on your app is a must. When you stick to the industry-standard guidelines, it will be ensuring that the mobile app is completely secure. There is a need to drive security in mobile applications. 

As a developer, you must consider running several tests that can ensure finding out the company app’s flaws. Always make sure that you have good knowledge regarding the guidelines defined in the industry. If the test score is not up to the mark, then maybe there are chances that your application will become vulnerable to malware and attacks.

4) The utilization of only authorized API

The utilization of only authorized API is one of the best mobile app security practices. The API that isn’t authorized turns out to be the best way for allowing the hacker to take the privilege and misuse the app. 

For a small business owner, it’s worth noting that 43 percent of all cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses. The attackers Always are on the Lookout for the loopholes through which they can access vital information. Therefore, the experts always recommend that the API should be authorized centrally to ensure maximum security.

5) Adopting high-level authentication

The biggest security breaches happening today are due to weak authentication, so there is a need for stronger authentication. Authentication refers to the passwords as well as a personal identifier that will be acting in the form of barriers to the direct entry of the malware. 

There is a large part that is entirely dependent on the end-users of the application. But when you are developing the mobile app, make sure that you are encouraging the users to be more sensitive and alert when it comes to authentication. Also, you can enable the applications for receiving merely the strong alphanumeric password that gets modified on a regular basis. 

Multi-Factor authentication as security in mobile app development is more favorable and involves the combination of the static password and the dynamic OTP. In the case of sensitive apps, make sure that you include biometric authentication, including the fingerprints and the retina scan, that can keep vulnerabilities away from affecting your mobile app.

6) Applying Cryptography techniques

The modern modular popular cryptography algorithms, including MD5 and SHA1, are becoming obsolete for meeting the ever-increasing security requirements. So as a business owner, it would help if you always kept in mind to remain updated with the latest security algorithm. 

Therefore, whenever possible, ensure that you’re utilizing the encryption methods, including 512-bit encryption, 256-bit encryption, and other such standards. In addition, also ensure that you are performing manual penetration testing alongside the threat modeling on the applications before it is out of control. In this way, it can ensure high-end security.

7) Minimization the storage of the sensitive data

To protect your business from vulnerabilities, always make sure that you are adopting the best ways to protect sensitive data. The best practice is avoidance of storing sensitive data because there may be increased chances of vulnerabilities. However, if you have no other option than to store the data, the best idea is the utilization of encrypted data containers in the form of the keychain. 

Mobile application security and safety challenges are becoming the precedence anxiety for app developers with the ever-increasing danger of malicious actions. Therefore, there is a need to follow industry-standard mobile app security practices to ensure the application’s stringent security testing strategy for reliability and integrity.

Key Takeaways

Increasing mobile app growth encourages software development companies to become careful while integrating security features. Hackers want to get access to private data for their interests. Hiring a Mobile app development company is a smart move that can help businesses eradicate the security vulnerabilities in the initial stage. 

After that, companies must act smartly and effectively to protect the data. Every company should begin by integrating security into app development, and this way, even the average mobile app will become a secure mobile app.