Top 10 Best Practices To Secure Your Mobile Application
Updated on: September 26, 2023
Sreenidhi
4 mins read
As a developer, it is extremely important to secure your mobile application. As cyber-attacks grow more frequent, it is the need of the hour. Not only does this help you increase your reputation, but it also helps users trust your app, but you may also even gain more users when you secure your mobile application! Read on to know how you can follow good security practices to make sure your app is safe.
1. Take into account the limitations of the platform
Every mobile operating system is different, and this extends to security features too. To develop a secure application for a specific platform, it’s a great idea to begin by researching and understanding the security pros and cons of that platform. This will help you plan your development accordingly.
2. Keep good security practices in mind while developing your app
Rules of security, such as the principle of least privilege, which states that every user must only have as much access to the system as they require to do perform their required tasks, can help you ensure that there are no loopholes that hackers can exploit. Incorporating these rules in your development process will ensure that you develop a great, secure app your users can fully trust.
3. Build a secure backend for your app
Mobile malware often taps bugs and vulnerabilities within the design and source code of the mobile application. Writing secure code and encrypting it is the best way to prevent such attacks and secure your mobile application. For hackers, your code is very easy to read, and while its minification and obfuscation can help make it more difficult to read and interpret, encrypting it is a sure-shot solution that will ensure that your mobile application’s source code cannot be accessed by anyone else.
4. Encrypt all data in your app
Sensitive information which is sent from the client to backend servers needs to be protected in order to ensure zero privacy leaks and data theft. In fact, all data that is exchanged over your app needs to be encrypted. This ensures that even if your data is stolen, it is useless without the key – hence preventing any misuse or malicious practices.
5. Use secure APIs
An application programming interface or API Security is an essential part of mobile app development, as it allows applications to communicate with each other. This data is prone to attacks and theft – so it’s important to use trusted and secure APIs to secure your mobile application. Experts recommend that APIs be authorized centrally for maximum security.
6. Handle sessions carefully
As mobile application sessions last longer than most web apps and desktop applications, they are more prone to attacks. It is also harder for the server to handle these sessions. Using a token system for sessions can greatly enhance the security of your mobile application, as tokens can be revoked at any time, session data can be wiped, and remote log-off is made possible.
7. Have a strong authentication system
As more and more mobile applications are being hacked every day, it is important to ensure that you employ as strong an authentication system as possible. Make sure your application uses strong passwords with a mix of capital and small letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. You can also have biometric authentication or two-factor authentication to give added security.
8. Use the latest cryptography techniques
Earlier in the article, the need for encryption was stressed – but without strong cryptography techniques, even encryption can fail. It is extremely important to manage any keys your application uses. Make sure to never store keys locally, and research and employ the latest, strongest cryptography practices and APIs.
9. Conduct rigorous testing
As hackers keep evolving their methods, it is important to conduct mobile application security testing of your app from time to time to make sure you don’t get hacked. Security is a great investment, and investing time and effort in regular testing will definitely go a long way to secure your mobile application.
10. Get a professional security team
The only sure-shot way to completely secure your mobile application is to assign the task to experienced professionals like the engineers at Astra Security. This ensures that your application is protected round-the-clock.
Securing your mobile app is an ongoing process, and you need all the help you can get. Following secure coding practices, enabling encryption, and rigorous testing can go quite a long way, but it can also be extremely tedious for you to wear all these hats as a developer. So invest in security! Get professionals to look after your app. This way, you never have to worry about getting hacked again!
Sreenidhi
