Today’s world is increasingly digital. As a result, there are more opportunities to leverage information and interact with customers than ever before.
However, this also means cybercriminals have more ways to target you than ever before. As the number of digital interactions continues to grow, so does the threat level against them. This is further amplified by the ever-increasing use of mobile applications and web browser extensions. They make accessing data more convenient, but they also increase the opportunity for cyber criminals to exploit your business’ resources as well.
If you want to extend the life of your business and reach new customers in today’s digital world, it’s essential that you take steps to build a comprehensive application security framework.
What is application security?
The data that an application handles is extremely important, as it can be the key to an organisation’s success. It’s essential to provide a top-notch security model when building an app.
Application security requires your security department to be involved at the earliest stages of building or implementing an app, not just the end. You have to build security into your product.
App security starts with the design and development of a security model, and then testing and validating this model to ensure it works as expected. After an app has been deployed, it’s important to monitor it and keep up with ongoing security improvements.
Why application security is important for businesses
Keeping sensitive information such as financial or customer data, and other critical assets, out of the hands of cybercriminals can be difficult, but it’s an essential step toward protecting your business from harm.
Mobile applications that are inadequately secured leave customer data and the application framework vulnerable, inviting a host of security breaches.
Mobile and web apps are vulnerable to issues such as:
- Storing or accidentally leaking sensitive data in ways that other apps on the user’s phone can read.
- Constructing poor authentication and authorisation checks that could be bypassed by malicious apps.
- Sending, transmitting, or storing sensitive data without encryption over the internet.
5 application security best practices
App access authorisation
Developers must make certain that apps only accept strong passwords of at least 12 characters in order to avoid security breaches. Multi-factor authentication should also be enforced for additional security; this feature is simple to set up, and generally consists of the user’s regular login details, then a one-time code that they must input before being able to access their account or app.
While a one-time code sent to the user’s phone is the most widely used of multi-factor authentication requirements, other – and stronger – options include authenticator apps, a fido2 security token key, or a hardware one-time token, such as an RSA key.
Configuration management
Keep track of configuration settings and associated data to ensure data integrity and prevent unauthorised changes. This can also help you detect unauthorised changes to your application that could jeopardise its integrity or cause downtime.
Additionally, configuration management can help you better manage the lifespan of your software by detecting and preventing security issues that could otherwise cause an expensive software failure.
Source code encryption
Mobile malware can detect and exploit code weaknesses and bugs on the client side of an app, especially the majority of code in a native mobile app. The attacker will then repackage the app into rogue apps by reverse engineering them and then upload them to third-party app stores.
Ensure that your developers are including security tools and safety mechanisms when creating the app. It is crucial for them to recognize and handle security vulnerabilities. It is crucial for apps to be tough enough to resist modifications and reverse engineering assaults.
Use cryptography techniques
Some of the most commonly used cryptography algorithms, like MD5 and SHA1, can no longer keep up with security demands. It’s crucial to keep up with the newest security technology, and if possible, utilise methods such as AES with 512-bit or 256-bit encryption, and SHA-256 hashing. Before releasing your application, perform manual testing and threat modelling to guarantee the security.
However, developers are generally encouraged not to deploy their own encryption, and instead utilise tried and trusted encryption algorithm libraries that are widely available for use online, such as Microsoft SEAL.
Penetration testing
Before every deployment, it’s a good idea to test your application against random security scenarios. In particular, penetration testing may prevent mobile app security problems and vulnerabilities. Mobile data and features may be jeopardised by uncovering system loopholes.
Protect your web and mobile apps with robust security
Application security is essential for protecting your business, brand, and resources from cyber-attacks. With this in mind, it’s important to ensure that you are implementing the most effective security features to help protect your valuable data.
The security specialists at NetworkIQ will advise you on the best web and mobile app security for your business, implement the right security controls, and can manage and monitor your entire environment for optimal protection.
Comments (2)
Sebastian
08/24/2022Could you expand on what penetration testing actually means? Maybe give an example of this?
Nolan
08/30/2022Everything you’ve said here looks good but I wonder if it’s enough to protect applications from being accessed by hackers. They are getting better and better at breaking through security measures and wreaking havoc on apps, systems and databases… It seems like it’s just a matter of time before someone manages to break the security measures and gets access to personal and private data.