Mobile App Security - Security Software Glossary

What is mobile app security?

Mobile app security is a set of best practices that protect your app from cyberthreats, vulnerabilities, and unauthorized access. These techniques protect your users' privacy and sensitive information, maintain customer trust, and mitigate the risks associated with mobile threats and attacks.

Summary

Securing your mobile apps includes app hardening to obscure code, runtime application self-protection (RASP), and white-box cryptography to encrypt critical data and keys. Key features of a good mobile app security strategy are:

Secure coding practices: Developing mobile apps with security considerations from the outset through input validation, error handling, authentication mechanisms, and adherence to security practices for iOS and Android mobile platforms.
Data encryption and practices: Encrypting sensitive data to prevent unauthorized access using encryption algorithms and secure communication protocols like HTTPS and TLS.
Authentication: Implementing authentication mechanisms (password authentication, biometric authentication, or multi-factor authentication) to verify user identity.
Authorization: Enforcing authorization controls to ensure that users only access the resources and functionalities they are authorized to use.
Code obfuscation and hardening: Android and iOS obfuscation to prevent attackers from reverse engineering the app and extracting sensitive information.
Security testing: Testing mobile apps for security, like determining if sensitive data is shared with third parties through notifications or embedded services.
RASP: Protects your apps while they’re running by monitoring app behavior and responding to security threats in real time.

The OWASP Mobile Top Ten (2024) highlight the most critical risks to mobile app security. While centralized app stores (Apple App Store and Google Play Store) provide security mechanisms, embracing security best practices is vital for secure mobile app development, especially with the artificial intelligence and stricter regulations.

In addition to these security measures, understanding the ROI of mobile app security is essential. Mobile app security is not just a “nice-to-have” but crucial for organizational success because the cost of insecure mobile apps can far outweigh the investment in security.

Deep dive

OWASP Mobile Top Ten (2024)

The OWASP Mobile Top Ten lists the most critical mobile apps security risks. The 2024 version includes the following risks:

M1: Improper credential usage	M6: Inadequate privacy controls
M2: Inadequate supply chain security	M7: Insufficient binary protections
M3: Insecure authentication/authorization	M8: Security misconfiguration
M4: Insufficient input/output validation	M9: Insecure data storage
M5: Insecure communication	M10: Insufficient cryptography

OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS)

The OWASP MASVS is the industry standard for mobile app security. Mobile software architects and developers use it to develop secure mobile apps and ensure consistency of test results. It provides a framework for defining security requirements and verification criteria for mobile app development.

iOS vs. Android considerations

iOS provides sandboxing and permission controls to restrict app access to user data. Apple's App Store review process includes security checks to ensure apps meet security standards before publication. While Android offers a more open ecosystem, it also introduces security challenges. Android's permission model allows users to grant or deny app permissions at runtime, enhancing user control over app access.

Examples

Microsoft Authenticator provides two-factor authentication for Microsoft accounts and other supported services. It supports passwordless sign-in, allowing users to authenticate using biometric data or a hardware security key.
Mozilla Firefox has an HTTPS-Only Mode that automatically upgrades connections to HTTPS for all websites whenever possible. This provides a more secure browsing experience and protects against man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.
Netflix uses digital rights management (DRM) technologies to protect copyrighted content from unauthorized distribution. DRM systems encrypt video streams and enforce access controls to prevent piracy.

History

In the pre-smartphone era, mobile devices were feature phones with limited capabilities and minimum security considerations. As smartphones became ubiquitous, so did mobile malware and malicious apps. This highlighted the need for robust security measures to protect users' devices and sensitive data.

The introduction of centralized app stores, like the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, provided security mechanisms to reduce the risk of malicious apps and enforce security standards for app developers.

The mobile app development community embraced security best practices, including secure coding practices, encryption, authentication, and secure communication protocols, to protect mobile apps from vulnerabilities and attacks. Security frameworks and guidelines, like the OWASP Mobile Security Project, provided developers with resources and recommendations for building secure mobile applications.

Future

5G technology: 5G rollout introduces new opportunities and challenges for mobile app security. While it offers faster speeds and lower latency, it also increases the attack surface for mobile apps, as more devices connect to high-speed networks.
IoT devices: Internet of things (IoT) devices like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart home devices expand the connected device ecosystem. With mobile apps controlling and managing these devices, they become a potential target for attacks.
AI and ML: While artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies help with personalization and natural language processing, they also introduce new security risks and data privacy concerns.
Regulatory landscape: Governments and regulatory bodies worldwide are introducing regulations and compliance requirements to enhance mobile app security. For example, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and industry-specific regulations like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Mobile application security