How to Protect Your Mobile App Against Cyber Threats

An average smartphone owner uses 30 apps each month. But are you sure they are not stealing your data from the phone?

Imagine this. You have downloaded a photo editor app on your mobile device. And before you realize, the app skims all your private data. Hackers get their hands on your credit card, password, and contact details. Even worse, your data is open to anybody in the world.

Scary. Right?

Mobile Apps are like a goldmine for hackers. They do not need physical access to a smartphone. 89% of security vulnerabilities are exploited using malware. Let me give you an instance of one of the biggest data breaches. Dubsmash is a video messaging app for iOS and Android. In December 2018, a data breach occurred that exposed 162 million unique email IDs, geographic locations, passwords, phone numbers, and usernames. The data was then put up for sale on the dark web market.

I won’t be wrong in saying that your entire life is on your cell phone. One security threat and hackers will get their hands on confidential data. This is where the importance of cybersecurity comes in. It will protect your device against cyber threats that violate your privacy.  

Here’s a list of the best ways to secure mobile apps against cyber threats.

 1. Strong User Authentication

It is easy for hackers to get access to sensitive data if your user authentication is not secure. User Authentication means asking a ‘who are you’ question. It helps you know if a genuine user is running the app.

When you set-up user authentication, include user privacy, identity, session management, and device security features. Moreover, two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication will ensure strong user authentication.

2. Security Integration in Code

It is easy for hackers to exploit codes. Around 11.6 million devices are affected by malicious code issues. Therefore, it is necessary to use a secured framework for the developers while coding the mobile application.

Design a code that is not easy to break, keep testing the app, and fix bugs when exposed. Use the approach of agile development to easily update your app.

3. Secure Payment Transactions

Mobile payments are a new normal way of payment. From buying tacos to making a big electronic purchase, we make an online payment.

However, it also has security concerns. According to a survey, the total percentage of mobile payment crimes reached 71% in 2019. Mobile Wallet security should be a priority while developing apps. Some tips to ensure a secure digital payment solution:

Tokenization- In tokenization, sensitive data, such as credit card numbers remain encrypted which looks like a random number.

QR Code- QR Code, like a barcode, is a way to store information in a machine-readable optical label. Any data which is transferred via QR code is encrypted for the secured payment.

End-to-end Encryption- End-to-end encryption uses cryptography to scramble data at one end to secure it for transit and decoding by the recipient.

4. Implement App Transport Security (ATS)

ATS is a feature of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. By enabling ATS, HTTP connections will use HTTPS, and attempts to connect using insecure HTTP will fail. This helps to mitigate the risk of insecure connections.

ATS improves the privacy and data integrity of connections between an app and web services. This ensures the user that the app does not accidentally leak transmitted data to malicious parties.

By introducing this security initiative, Apple is taking on the responsibility of enforcing the best-known security practices across its entire platform. 

  5. App Wrapping

App wrapping adds an extra layer of security to mobile apps. It is the process of applying security policies to email or custom-build apps. It helps businesses to safeguard crucial corporate data from mobile malware. This is why companies are adopting this technique to secure corporate data.

The main aim of app wrapping is to limit the actions taken for security breaches. It has other advantages like (a) limit the device capabilities such as the camera or microphone accessibility (b) provide additional elements if the user needs.

Conclusion

As technology evolves, the need for security becomes more and more critical. We need systems that can handle huge amounts of data and protect applications from potential threats.

Are you worried about your sensitive corporate data getting leaked? Want to ensure if your business is digitally secure? Get in touch with [email protected].