Successful Practices to Build a Secure Mobile Application

The number of mobile applications is confronting a remarkable hike with each passing day.

However, the constantly increasing number of mobile applications is also giving a significant rise to the number of hacking attacks occurring in our surroundings.

Looking at the scenario, it becomes the duty of developers to be watchful about the application’s security in addition to injecting advanced features into it.

We will commence with our discussion shortly, meanwhile, contact us to hire mobile app programmer well-versed with all the practices required to develop well secure mobile applications.

Let’s start by understanding different types of hacking attacks that are likely to hit a mobile application

4 Types of Hacking Attacks Associated with a Mobile Application

1. Browser-based Attacks
   These types of hacking attacks occur on web servers. These include a range of activities including phishing, clickjacking, and so on.
2. SMS-based Attacks
   While performing these types of attacks, the hackers intent to spread unauthorized messages across mobile devices. These texts are addressed to chargeable SMS text services run by the attacker.
3. OS-based Attacks
   The OS-based attacks are aimed to find loopholes in the mobile operating systems like Android and iOS and misuse them.
4. Application-based Attacks
   The application-based attacks are intended to find faults in the developed application and utilize them to fetch the sensitive data of the user.
   The factors like poor encryption, faulty SSL injection, etc. may be the major cause of these types of attacks.

3 Most Common Reasons Behind Successful Hacking Attempts

1. Weak Encryption
   Weak and faulty encryption allows hackers to easily understand your confidential data. Hence, if you are not following the best encryption practices, you are most likely to encounter hacking attacks.
2. Absence of Proper Authentication
   The second most important cause for successful hacking attacks is the absence of proper authentication.
   Passwords are the oldest technique to apply authentication and are losing effects with the advancement in hacking technologies.
   Finding out another effective way to implement authentication has become a necessity.
3. Faulty Storage of Data
   User’s data is a liability for you and you should handle it with care.
   If there are errors in your data storage methods, you are likely to lose your user’s confidential data in the hands of hackers.

8 Practices to Build Secure Mobile Applications

1. Draft a Secure Code
   One of the most crucial yet weak elements of any application is the application’s code.
   It becomes very easy for hackers to exploit your application if it is made with malefic code. Hence, try to draft as much secure code as you can.
2. Ensure Proper Encryption of Data
   Data encryption is an effective way to protect valuable data from getting exploited even if it gets stolen.
   If you encrypt your data properly before transmission, it will not allow hackers to understand it unless they know the decryption code.
   Hence, make sure to apply the latest encryption techniques to all your application’s data to protect it from attackers.
3. Utilize Two-Factor Authentication
   Password security is the most common type of security measure implemented for a long time.
   However, there are many limitations associated with password security like failing to remember the password, higher chances of password hacking, and so on.
   Moreover to this, guessing a user’s password is not a tough chore in many cases.
   The scenarios demand the need for a more reliable security measure and two-factor authentication emerges as a great option in this respect.
   The most traditional and popular application of two-factor authentication is – whenever a user tries to log in to an application, he receives a code via a text message or email, only when he submits the required code in addition to the password, he is allowed to log in to the application.
   Two-factor authentication is an excellent way to protect such applications that are likely to hold confidential data of the user.
4. Employ SSL Certificates
   SSL certificates are a powerful way to guarantee protected data transfers, logins, etc. as well as guard your confidential data.
   The lack of SSL may open the doors of hacking attacks for your application.
   Hence, implementing the SSL certificates can be one of your best moves towards protecting your application against digital attacks.
5. Use Secure Hosting Providers
   Always ensure to use the best and well-secured hosting server incorporated with all the security measures for hosting your application.
   No matter you are adopting a dedicated server, shared server, or cloud hosting provider, security should always be at the top of your list and you should always be very careful while making a selection.
6. Be Selective with the Libraries
   The utilization of third-party libraries is a common practice while developing a secure mobile applications. However, all the libraries do not comply well with the security measures and are not safe when used in your application.
   The flaws in these libraries can give the chance to hackers to enter your app.
   Hence, using the libraries with caution is a mandatory thing.
7. Perform Adequate Security Testing
   Next comes security, one of the most important phases of a software development life cycle.
   Perform adequate security testing on your application. Make sure to use all the latest tools and technologies to achieve better results.
   The retesting, regression testing, all should be done every time whenever the changes are introduced to the application.
   You can hire a dedicated testing team if you need to perform the job in a more beneficial way.
8. Avoid Storing Unnecessary Sensitive Data
   Don’t store user’s sensitive data forever. Use practices that automatically delete the user’s data after a specific period of time.
   Also, avoid collecting too much data from the user. Ask only for the mandatory data instead.
   And again, whatever data you are storing, it should be in the encrypted format.

EndNote

Secure mobile applications are surely a major concern that can have a big impact on the decision between acceptance and abandonment of the application.

The hackers can employ any strategy including utilizing your microphone, camera, or even location to have access to your confidential data.
So guys, if you are overlooking the security aspect of your mobile application, it is time to be careful and follow the best development practices guaranteeing better application security.
Connect with us if you need help. We have an excellent team capable of assuring the development of secure mobile applications with all the advanced features incorporated. Good Luck!