How To Protect Your Mobile Application From Cyber Threats

1. How To Protect Your Mobile Application From Cyber Threats Thanks to the advent of technology, the number of mobile phone users is increasing day by day. You will be surprised to know that by 2019, this number will cross the 5 billion mark! While mobile phones may have made our lives easier, they have also opened up domains for many cybercriminals who are adapting and using new methods to profit from this growing number of potential victims. In addition, applications are used for almost 90% of use on mobile phones and tablets, making them the number one source of cyberattacks. People are using apps to access everything from online banking to shopping to even controlling home devices. User data is like a gold mine for cybercriminals, as they can access anything from credit card details to email passwords to user contact lists. Users have also been scammed into downloading malicious adware and sometimes inadvertently subscribe to fraudulent payment services. This is the reason why a security breach of any mobile application is an overwhelming scenario for application owners and Mobile app developers . According to a study, more than 60% of companies reported that an insecure mobile application caused a data breach, and 44% of them did not take any immediate action to protect their application against potential cyberattacks. So, if you are an app owner or developer, start working on certain frameworks and tools that provide ease and security for your users. Think about the ways you can

2. avoid the aforementioned security challenges and protect your application from cybercriminals. To make your tasks easier, I have listed some of the best mobile app security practices that will benefit you as an owner and also provide your users with a safe online experience. Secure user authentication: Implementing strong user authentication and authorization is essential to the security of any mobile application. Establishing the fact that a genuine user is running the application is crucial to prevent access by hackers and malware. When setting up user authentication, you must ensure that you include all essential privacy, identity, session management, and mobile security features. 2FA (two-factor authentication) or MFA (multi-factor authentication) should be applied for stronger user authentication. Design for application security: Now, when you have decided to ensure end-to-end security for your application, you must begin by preparing your threat model from scratch. The best approach should be to brainstorm like a hacker to identify all the loopholes. iPhone app companies in Texas will help you to enforce tight security measures. You can also enlist the help of security professionals acting as hackers to test the security level and identify all vulnerabilities. Application security becomes even more critical when you want to run an ecommerce business through it. Imagine the possibility of the application receiving hacking and confidential user data, including phone numbers, bank account numbers, and credit details floating all over cyberspace. Your highest priority should be safeguarding confidential user data at all costs. Protection against network threats: A smartphone does not exist in isolation, but is connected to a large number of devices and networks. Hackers could potentially abuse these connections and exploit the vulnerabilities within them to extract sensitive data. An example of this is WiFi scooping, where attackers could connect to devices over open / public networks. A great way to counteract this and other man-in-the-middle attacks is to encrypt the communication between applications and application servers. While the encryption is not perfect, it is surely enough to make the attackers' lives a bit more difficult.

3. Physical threats: This may seem obvious, but mobile devices are small and easy to steal. They are also lost quite frequently. Without proper device security, a stolen mobile device is a treasure trove of personal and financial information for a criminal. To mitigate physical threats to mobile devices, it is advisable to set strong passwords and configure the device to lock only when not in use, as lost or stolen phones are the most common cases of physical threats. Anti-theft tracking software also helps to recover a lost phone. Periodic testing: New threats continue to emerge as digital ecosystems become more diverse and developed. Android application developers in USA must be aware of these vulnerabilities, and the best way to protect against them is to periodically but rigorously test your application against these threats. Once identified, you need to deploy updates to patch these threats before they attack your application. Another important area to protect is the backend of your application or the server side. Once again, it is important to periodically test all the APIs that grant access to your application servers. Since servers contain all of your user base information, they are often a prime target for hackers and therefore it is essential to double down on your server defense. Additionally, implementing procedures such as data encryption and containerization and regular penetration testing can add an additional layer of security. Raise awareness about mobile security through training: People are used to consumer freedoms on mobile devices. It's a smart policy to raise awareness of the business security risks inherent in mobile technology. Security training programs should include the topic of keeping mobile devices safe, what activities pertain to your business devices (and decisions not), and what day-to-day practices you can implement to avoid falling victim to common threats. Educating your employees can save your business a lot of money and dramatically reduce threats to mobile security. Conclusions: Hackers love to target mobile applications, which are rich in personal data and payment card information. Our results indicate that Cross platform app development company in Virginia often neglect security, with insecure data storage being the main problem. User information stored in clear text, data unmasked in screenshots, and keys and passwords in source code are just a few of the flaws that offer opportunities for cyberattacks.

4. Users themselves can unknowingly help compromise their devices by expanding smartphone capabilities, disabling protection, opening suspicious links in SMS messages, and downloading software from unofficial sources. Protecting user data requires a responsible attitude on the part of both application developers and device owners. We also cannot underestimate the role of server vulnerabilities. The protection of mobile application servers is no better than that of clients. In 2018, all of the tested server-side components contained at least one vulnerability that allowed various attacks on users, including spoofing the developer in phishing emails, putting the developer's reputation at risk. To avoid exploiting server vulnerabilities, we recommend using a web application firewall (WAF). Beyond client and server vulnerabilities, risks also include client-server communication. Data sent over an insecure protocol can be completely compromised. But even secure connections are not always secure. Developers have yet to gain a deep understanding of the importance of security. Protection mechanisms are the weak point of mobile applications. Most of the vulnerabilities discovered were introduced during the design stage and are the result of not "thinking hard" about security-related questions. We recommend a methodical approach to designing and monitoring mobile app security, testing it regularly beginning on the first day of the software lifecycle. The most effective method is white-box testing, in which security analysts have full access to the source code. You may also read: average cost of app development Financial App Development

5. If you have a vision for a mobile application, USM Business Systems have the tools to turn that vision into reality. With the experience we have accumulated as a leading mobile application development company in USA from working on different projects, we understand that each application is different and deserves special and different attention. We are the premier iPhone application development company based in the USA, Australia and India. Our team has worked with startups and businesses to shape their ideas and provide in-depth market analysis to help them move forward, and now is the time for our team of application experts to come to your aid. WRITTEN BY Koteshwar Reddy I am working as a Marketing Associate and Technical Associate at USM Business Systems. I am working in the Internet of Things and Cloud Computing domain. I completed B.E. in Computer Science from MIT, Pune. In my spare time, I am interested in Travelling, Reading and learning about new technologies.