India is one of the largest contributors to the pool of global tech community. The country has been an advanced hub for software and application development. In fact, India is also home to the largest number of smartphone consumers with Internet speeds reaching 5G.
While the tech ecosystem is developing in India, the situation with cyberattacks within the country has also been cathartic. A report from the Economic Times states that India has seen a sharp rise in cyberattacks in Q1 of 2023. It is estimated that a total of 500 million cyberattacks were averted during this tenure.
This raises a question, especially if you are in the spectrum of top mobile app development companies which is “Are the apps we are creating secure enough?”.
Well, 100% security is a myth. However, employing mobile app development security best practices that can reduce the vulnerability of an app by tonnes is empirical. It will help make the application watertight (as much as possible) in terms of security and help stop numerous cyberattacks.
This article is dedicated to mobile application security best practices. Therefore, without any further await, let’s begin this article…
1. Encryption of Sensitive Data and Source Code
From an application perspective, code is the most sensitive organ of an application. If one takes over it, the entire application can crash like the Eiffel Tower made from cards. This is the reason encrypting source code is an excellent mobile app development security best practices to enhance app security.
An Encryption algorithm converts a source code into an unreadable format. In order to unlock it, one requires a key. In fact, some of the encryption algorithms are almost impossible to break even with a full-fledged brute-force attack.
Adding to it, the data collected from users is another sensitive facet that needs to be kept in mind. Most applications store customer credentials and other personal information comprising sensitive data, including names, addresses, contact details, etc. stored on a cloud database in an encrypted format. Employing these strategies will make sure that your application is not uncompromisable.
2. Penetration Testing of the Application
There is no app today that runs without an active internet connection. In fact, we are connected to every person who is a part of the World Wide Web. This makes the sensitive information stored and even the application developed vulnerable to cyber attacks.
A penetration test is basically a simulated attack carried out on an application to find vulnerabilities within applications. It is essential to find those spaces so that they aren’t vulnerable to code injection.
There are several stages to penetration testing that can be employed as the mobile application security best practices. These are:
- Establishing the scope and goal of the test
- Gathering intelligence related to potential vulnerabilities
- Scanning the code of the application to see how it will behave while running
- Testing different vulnerabilities by attacking the system with different attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, backdoors, etc.
- Second phase of vulnerability test will run for stealing data, data interception, etc. to check the amount of vulnerable data
- In this stage, a threat is inserted for months to check if it can gain access to sensitive data
- Finally, a detailed report is generated for the different vulnerabilities, sensitive data, and the amount of time the tester was in the system undetected
3. Secure Data-in-transit within the App & Externally
It is important to secure data whether it is in-app or external. The majority of intrusions happen because of data leakages. In fact, mostly, the intention of the intruder is to get a hold of sensitive customer data.
Here are some of the app security best practices to protect data in transit within an app and externally:
- Use encryptions such as HTTPS, SSL/TLS, and IPSec to convert files into a form that can’t be read without a key
- Use secure protocols while transmitting data over the internet such as HTTPS, SSH, FTPS
- Use a firewall to protect the network from unauthorized access
- Use intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to detect and prevent any unauthorized access to data
- Keep the software updated with all the latest security patches
- Implement strong access control by employing password authentication, multi-factor authentication, and role-based access control
- Monitor your network traffic for any suspicious activity.
4. High-level Authentication
As a developer, it is essential for anyone to ensure that access to the application is via authentication. The most basic method one can use is to provide access via username and password. A great way to pull this off effectively is by asking for passwords that are a combination of alphanumeric characters clubbed with special characters. This would ensure that the app can’t be intruded via a brute force attack.
Adding to it, the app can also have a biometric login. This could be further backed with OTP (one-time password) especially if the user is trying to log in for the first time.
5. Create a Controlled Security Layer
A controlled security layer is a set of mobile development security best practices that can be used to protect sensitive data. It provides protection from:
- Unauthorized access or usage of the application
- Disclosure of any sensitive data due to any vulnerability
- Modification or destruction of any sensitive data
A controlled security layer can be created over an application via technical, administrative, and physical ways.
Here are some examples:
- Using encryption to protect data from any unauthorized access
- Using intrusion detection and prevention systems to detect and prevent malicious activity
- Employing strong password policies
- Training the employees about the mobile app security best practices
- Have an incident response plan in place
- Create backups of sensitive data
- Have physical security of the data centers
6. Development of Error-free Code
Erroneous code can leave loopholes within the application. Loopholes can be figured out by an intruder in order to gain illegitimate access to the app. To protect code and sensitive data from being exposed to the internet, here are some app security best practices such as:
- Using secure coding practices such as sanitizing user input, strong encryption, avoiding common security practices, etc.
- Using security analysis tools to weed out potential vulnerabilities
- Dynamic analysis tools to test code for security vulnerabilities
- Get the code reviewed by an expert
- Keeping the code up to date
7. Permission within the Application
Every application demands multiple permissions from the user to access data of different types. Data such as user location, contact, mic input, file manager, etc. The majority of the time, these permissions are redundant and don’t really affect the quality of service provided by the application. However, this data is sensitive and if the intruder catches a hold of it then the intruder can devise strategies to gain unauthorized access to it.
Some of the app security best practices to manage permissions are:
- Only grant necessary permissions with the prompt at the beginning for explicit permissions from the customer
- Get permissions for specific data points that affect the services
- Use runtime permissions during the operations
- Revoke permissions whenever they aren’t needed
- Use a consistent permissions framework to manage permissions in a secure and consistent manner
8. Provide Anti-Malware Capabilities
Malware on the internet is among the most common threats that are available. Considering applications primarily run on the internet, it becomes essential to have anti-malware capabilities. It is essential as a Malware is capable of stealing user data, installing other malware, and even taking control of the system.
Some of the anti-malware capabilities that the application should have are:
- Capability to scan malware
- Detection of any behavior that seems like an anomaly or distinct from the usual
- Isolation of suspicious files to quarantine so that they can be treated
- Protect data to make it unreadable from unauthorized users
- Educating the users about malware
9. Check Third-party Libraries
Not everything that is a part of an application is developed in-house. Even the top mobile app development companies source multiple third-party libraries to enhance the functionality of the application and its UI. There are times when these third-party libraries are infected or come from a source that is not trustworthy.
Therefore, here are some ways to check third-party libraries for app security:
- Onboard vulnerability scanner to check the vulnerabilities in the code to detect potential problems. There are scanners such as Synk, White Source, SonarQube, etc. that can help with the ordeal
- Third-party libraries from a trusted platform are usually updated with regular security patches. Make sure to keep them updated
- Review the code of the library
- Check the documentation of the library to understand the risks that are associated with the library
- Use a secure development environment to make sure that no vulnerabilities are introduced into the code
- Implement security controls such as code reviews and penetration testing to ensure that there are no security vulnerabilities
- Be aware of the latest security vulnerabilities
Wrapping Up
Ensuring that the application developed uses mobile app development security best practices help in improving the credibility of an application. Any application that undergoes a cyberattack that compromises its security affects the general perception of the application and the company that backs it up. Users should be comfortable sharing their personal data with the app. An app that can not instill trust in its users is bound to fail. Adding to it, as a developer it is important that we make sure that our user’s sensitive data is protected at all costs.
FAQs:
Q.1 What are some of the best mobile app development companies in India?
A.1 To learn about the best mobile app development companies in India, click here to reach our exclusive report.
Q.2 What are the types of mobile app development services available in India?
A.2 India offers a wide range of mobile app development services. These services are:
- Native app development
- Progressive web app
- Hybrid app development
- Cross-platform development
- Augmented reality development
- Virtual reality development
- AI-based development
Q.3 What are some of the web application development security best practices?
A.3 Some of the web application development security best practices are:
- Using a secure code framework
- Ensuring minimal manual errors in the code
- Making use of a vulnerability scanner
- Implementing security control during the code review
- Protect web-app from common attacks such as cross-site scripting, SQL injection, etc.
Q.4 What are some iOS app security best practices?
A.4 Some of the iOS app security best practices are:
- Keep the iOS app updated
- Use a secure framework
- Use secure network stacking
- Use secure authentication and authorization for user login
- Test your iOS app for security time to time
Q.5 What are some application security methods?
A.5 Some application security methods are:
- Static application security tests
- Dynamic application security tests
- Interactive application security tests
- Security awareness testing
- Code reviewing, etc.
Q.6 What are the Android app security best practices?
A.6 Android app security best practices are similar to any other app security best practices which are:
- Using a secure environment for development
- Educating your user about the development process
- Using strong password and encryption
- Testing the app for security issues regularly
Q.7 What are some mobile app authentication best practices?
A.7 Some mobile app authentication best practices are:
- Using a strong password with complexity rules
- Using two-factor authentication
- Encrypt all the sensitive data
- Update the mobile app regularly
- Monitoring the app for suspicious activity
Q.8 What are some mobile app encryption best practices?
A.8 Some of the mobile app encryption best practices are:
- Using a stronger encryption algorithm
- Having a secure key management system
- Using secure authentication mechanism
- Regular updation of the application
Q.9 How to develop a secure mobile app?
A.9 To develop a secure mobile app, here are steps that you should follow. These are:
- Using a secure development environment
- Educating the users about the potential risks
- Using stronger encryptions
- Regularly testing your mobile application
- Have a plan for responding to security incidents
Q.10 How to hire mobile app developers?
A.10 In order to hire mobile app developers, the following things one should know. These are:
- Define your budget
- Figure out different app development companies suitable for your app idea
- Interview different mobile app developers
- Ask your references for references
- Get all the details in writing
Q.11 What is the mobile app development cost in India?
A.11 According to a recent study by Appinventiv, the average mobile app development cost in India is between $30,000 to $40,000.
