No matter for which platform you’re developing an app, there are always some common things that you must keep in mind. Here are our 10 best mobile application security practices for developers.

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10 Best
Mobile Application
Security
Best Practices for Developers

2. A Comprehensive Guide for Developers for Impenetrable Mobile App Security
Remember the movie ‘Time of the Apes?’ Well, you don’t need to because this is the
‘Time of the Apps!’ Okay, this was a terrible pun (is it even a pun?), but don’t judge us
based on just one pun as we’ve got much more to offer – but not in this blog because
we’ve got a stringent policy of ‘one pun per blog.’
Yes, that’s a real thing! We know it’s sad, but we can’t do anything about it, our hands are
tied ☹.
That’s why we’re going to try putting on a serious face like Mike Ehrmantraut of Breaking
Bad and focus on Mobile Application Security best practices for Developers.

3. Importance of Mobile App Security
Let us make it clear that this is an article for app developers, but you
can still stick around if you aren’t one – if you’re curious enough.
Developer, we know how harsh the world can be for you people.
But what we will do is we will give you an all-inclusive mobile app
security best practices guide that will get some ounces off your
shoulders. No matter what type of app you want to develop, this
guide should help you anywhere, anytime.
Those thousands of lines of code (a good part of which is never
used), crazy demands of your clients, the endless cycle of bugs and
fixes, those deadly deadlines, and to top it all, you must make it
secure! We won’t spend much time in sympathizing as you’re the
one who chose to be a developer.

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Mobile Application
Security
Best Practices for
Developers

5. Mobile App Security Modules
Start from the
start
Penetration
testing
Secure client to
server
communication
Secure and
agile code
Be careful
while using
third-party
libraries
Code signing
certificate

6. Mobile App Secure Modules
Encrypt the
data
Sturdy
authentication,
session
management, and
authorization
The less your
app knows,
the better
Constant
testing and
regular
updates

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Explaining
Mobile App
Secure
Modules

8. 1. Start from the start
 As much as we hate to use clichés, we can’t help but come up with this line:
‘Mobile app security is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.’
 When you think and implement security from the very start of your
development, you leave very little room for costly, time-consuming fixes.
 Keep a security checklist side-by-side and if possible, assign the security
duties to an individual who’d supervise it.
 Here’s an excellent checklist for your app security.

9. 2. Penetration testing
 Increasingly, testing methods such as SAST (Static Application Security
Testing) is becoming mandatory for IT organizations and rightly so.
 SAST tests penetrate your source code and decipher security micro security
loopholes.
 There are many tools through which you can do penetration testing of your
app.

10. 3. Code Signing certificate
 We don’t need to tell you because you already know it. But just for the sake
of this article, we want to tell you that you need to sign and encrypt your
code using a Code Signing certificate.
 Once done, your code gets encrypted, and any malicious party cannot fool
your users by spoofing your app.
 By publishing the developer’s name, the end-users can know that the app is
genuine and that it hasn’t been tampered with.
 If you’re unsure of using a Code Signing certificate and want to know
whether it’s worth the investment, you should head straight to this blog post.

11. 4. Be careful while using third-party libraries
 We know how much you want to use third-party libraries, but before you do
that, you should test your code extensively.
 There have been many incidents in recent times that caused some severe
mayhems due to insecure third-party libraries.
 So, be careful!

12. 5. Secure and Agile code
 Now you might say that this is another cliché point.
 But try to understand it a bit from our perspective.
 How awful an article on app security would look if it doesn’t tell you to secure
your code.
 Making your app secure should be your number one priority all along the
development.

13. 6. Secure client to server communication
 Not only the stored data, but the data-in-transit also needs to be secured to
avoid man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks.
 To secure server communication, you’ve got two options.
 You can either go with SSL or a VPN tunnel.
 However, keeping everything in mind, we’d recommend you go with
SSL/TLS.

14. 7. Encrypt the data
 We cannot stress enough on this point.
 You should encrypt every bit of data that is transmitted to user’s phone.
 This way, even if a hacker manages to get his/her hands on the data, he/she
won’t be able to (mis)use it.
 And of course, use unbroken protocols such as 256-bit AES encryption.
 Here’s a comprehensive guide for HTTPS on Android and iOS devices.

15. 8. Sturdy authentication, session management, and authorization
 When it comes to mobile app security, authentication and authorization are
two of the most crucial factors.
 Developers must make sure that the end-user passwords are highly secure,
and they must also enable multi-factor authentication.
 If the app deals with highly-sensitive information, the user must be made to
log in for every new session.
 Every developer should implement OAuth 2.0 authorization framework or the
OpenID Connect protocol by using their current versions.

16. 9. The less your app knows, the better
 The principle of least privilege states that an app should ask for the data that
it absolutely needs.
 Don’t make your app request for access to messages if you don’t need them.
Keep your accesses at the bare minimum.

17. 10. Constant testing and regular updates
 No platform is 100% secure.
 Even if you scrutinize at every stage, there will be some dark spots left
behind.
 That’s why testing should never stop.
 If you can afford, you can also start your own bug bounty program.

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