Cybersecurity is by far the single-most-important factor for many businesses. Small businesses especially, as they are the most vulnerable from attacks and have the hardest time recovering. Reputation damage is probably the most horrible experience for a small business as it’s hard to make a comeback when customers lose faith in you. This is why mobile app security is vital to your brand. It has to give users the confidence required so they trust you and have no worries using your app and thus be closer to your brand, product line and or services. These are the top 10 steps to take to safeguard your mobile app from hackers and or malware.
Encrypt your code
There are a lot of would-be imposters out there that can steal your entire app if you don’t encrypt the source code. There are teams of hackers that download or buy apps, just to reverse engineer them and sell them on the black market. So always protect your source code, keep it under lock and key via data and coding encryption.
Use biometrics
Don’t just rely on passwords for users, always give them the option to use the biometric login features that come with their phones. So, allow users to login using their fingerprints, iris, facial and or voice recognition. This is perhaps the best way to prevent fraud as nobody can hack a fingerprint or iris, but passwords will always fall prey.
Device storage
If you can at all help it, don’t allow users to store their data in folders in the app, situated on their phones. In other words, only store sensitive data on your servers that have data encryption features anyway. Users can easily have their phones hacked via hotspot cybercriminals. But if there isn’t any sensitive data inside the app on the phone, even when not connected to the internet, they have nothing to steal.
Hack detection
Many professional app development companies now offer tamper or hacking detection features. This lets you know when a user is trying to tinker with the coding or the files, or when hackers are trying to do the same. Active hacker detection software can be deployed to stop an attack in its midst.
Test and test again
When an app is compromised, it can be saved. But, why would you want to go through the hassle and headache of doing this anyway? So just test and test and test! You will eventually find holes that hackers would have found and pave over them so by the time it goes to release, it will be watertight.
Gateway principle
The gateway principle allows for the least amount of code to run depending on the permissions that the user has been able to pass. This is for such things as using the app without logging in. this allows for your app to be used but unless a user has passed all the gateways of passwords, usernames, profile accounts, biometrics, etc, then the app will not open up fully.
Retroactive fixes
Don’t be afraid to backtrack and fix leaks as and when you see them. So many times, brands wait for large updates. They allow bugs and leaks to carry on, until they have made a larger patch update. This can take weeks or months. Not a good look! So make small changes and make them economically. Have a team that fixes bugs in the meantime while another team works on the updates.
Inform users
Simple infographics imagery can help users to keep themselves safe. Every time they login to their account, give them a short message on how to protect the app. Things such as covering up their password when typing it, or not leaving their phone unattended, can really help to remind them of what not to do.
Ask the professionals
Sometimes you just need to ask the experts as to what kind of update or feature you need to have to make our app secure. Their expertise and advice isn’t cheap. This is a cost that you should look to bolster when you have done everything else and have run out of ideas yourself.
API safety
Never allow anyone access to the API, which is where you will store all the content and data of the app itself. Only developers and trusted employees should gain access to the API. This is where the code lies, so be extra careful!
If you would like more information on how to make your app that much safer, don’t hesitate to speak with us. We’d love to answer any questions you might have and start the ball rolling on your own security needs.