Although the incredible rise of mobile phone technology has revolutionised communications, it has also brought about massive security challenges.
One of the most common ways hackers look to penetrate is through mobile phone applications. This means that these apps should have greater security mechanisms. However, according to a report, 80 percent of mobile apps have got crypto flaws.
Protecting mobile apps has become a key priority for businesses. Here are some of the top mobile app vulnerabilities:
Insecure Data Storage
Good data storage habits are crucial to a mobile application’s success. Inexperienced app developers have this tendency to store files in the XML format, which is quite easy to breach.
It is very important that the app’s data be stored in secure data bases, such as SQLite. What’s more, there should be greater encryption at both device and external levels.
Weak Transport Layer Protection
The app might require connecting to a 3rd party source. A common mistake that developers make is not making these connections encrypted. Strong algorithms should be used to ensure robust transport layer protection.
The app should be programmed to display a warning message if the user is about to enter unknown territory.
Unauthorised Access
Unauthorised access is a common vulnerability when it comes to mobile apps. To tackle this, you should educate users about restricting access. For instance, they should be cautious when providing unnecessary access to their mobile phone’s data.
It is not just the Android apps that have this problem. A mobile application, named Path, was an incredible socialising app that offered good user-interface. Later, it was found out that Path took entire contact lists of phones to its servers. What’s more, it did this without asking permission.
Data Leaks as a Result of Syncing
Latest mobile applications require data to be synced to the cloud. This is a concern as data leaks might occur during the process.
Recently Dropbox received a major setback when it encountered a password breach. Luckily, not much damage was done. Some of the users received spams.
Malware Attacks
Malware has been a consistent issue in mobile phone applications. Malware is broken down into pieces so that it becomes difficult to detect. These attackers use names of popular apps to lure users into downloading them.
There have been efforts to protect apps from different types of malware. For instance, Google uses Google Bouncer to safeguard its apps from malware attacks.
We at Lean Security provide robust mobile application security testing. From mobile client assessment to network assessment, our comprehensive application security testing procedure ensures complete security of mobile apps.