What are the most effective ways to secure third-party libraries in mobile apps?

1 Choose reputable sources

One of the first steps to secure third-party libraries in mobile apps is to choose reputable sources for downloading or importing them. You should avoid unknown, outdated, or unsupported libraries, as they may have security flaws, bugs, or compatibility issues. Instead, you should opt for well-known, trusted, and maintained libraries, that have positive reviews, ratings, and feedback from other developers. You should also check the license terms, the documentation, and the update frequency of the libraries, to ensure that they meet your app's requirements and standards.

3 Minimize dependencies

A third way to secure third-party libraries in mobile apps is to minimize the number and size of dependencies that they introduce into your app. Dependencies are other libraries or components that a library relies on to work properly. However, they can also increase the complexity, the load time, and the attack surface of your app, as they may have their own vulnerabilities or conflicts. Therefore, you should try to reduce the dependencies to the minimum necessary, and remove any unused or redundant ones. You should also verify and update the dependencies regularly, and use tools like dependency checkers or bundlers to manage them.

4 Isolate sensitive data

A fourth way to secure third-party libraries in mobile apps is to isolate and protect any sensitive data that they access or process. Sensitive data can include personal information, credentials, payment details, or other confidential or valuable data that your app handles. However, some third-party libraries may have access to this data, either intentionally or unintentionally, and may expose it to unauthorized parties or malicious actors. Therefore, you should isolate and encrypt any sensitive data that your app stores or transmits, and use secure protocols and mechanisms to communicate with the libraries. You should also limit and monitor the permissions and scopes that the libraries request or require, and deny any unnecessary or suspicious ones.

5 Test and review

A fifth and final way to secure third-party libraries in mobile apps is to test and review them thoroughly, before and after releasing your app. You should perform various tests and reviews to ensure that the libraries work as expected, and do not cause any errors, crashes, or performance issues in your app. You should also check that the libraries do not violate any policies, regulations, or guidelines that apply to your app, such as the app store rules, the user privacy laws, or the industry standards. You should also collect and analyze feedback from your users, and address any complaints or concerns that they may have regarding the libraries.