Securing Your Android Apps and Devices

With 1.6 million apps (as of July 2015), of which 67.5% are free, the Google Play Store is one of the largest app stores in the mobile market. As such, there is little left to the imagination concerning the security of the apps launched each week. The open source nature of the platform makes it a playground for hackers at large to tap into these applications to implant malware or phish for sensitive user information. This requires Android app developers to be vigilant about the security of their applications that might affect their users. Here are a few pertinent security issues pertaining to app development that warrants attention during development.

1. Built-in Platform Security

The Google Play Store approves almost all apps and then lets users sort through the numbers with their reviews and ratings, making it easy to launch even malicious programs. This is an example of no development platform being fully secure. A web Development Company California company can integrate secure encryption algorithms to protect the integrity of the applications.

2. Reusing Code

Developing an application from scratch requires a lot of effort and with the amount of freely available and ready-to-use codes, there is a tendency to embed such codes into the program. While reusing codes is easy, the Android app developers need to first verify them and use codes from only trusted third-party sources.

3. Encryption and Security Checks

The use of weak or obsolete encryption algorithms can be absolutely damaging to the long-term security of the application and the developers need to ensure that they stay up-to-date with the latest security paradigms. Moreover, subjecting the applications to thorough security checks is mandatory, as it is probably the last line of defense to apply as developers. Additionally, wiping the debug log can be a feasible option to limit access to app bugs, crashes or fixes as these are easy access points for hackers.

4. Physical Security Breaches

App developers can do little or nothing when it comes to devices being lost or stolen; however, they can try implementing codes for a local session timeout. Besides, features like entering a password to access the app at regular intervals are a viable option.

5. Data Caching Vulnerabilities

The fundamental point of difference between mobile devices and laptops or desktops is that these devices cache the short-term information for as long as possible, making them more susceptible to security breaches. Implementing features like a password or functionalities that wipe out cached data as soon as the user exits the app are some feasible options.

6. Secure Client-Server Communication

Most mobile apps that require sensitive user data connect to a server to store and process such information, making it imperative that you integrate secure communication mechanism. You don’t want your user data to get lost in transit or intercepted over weak, unencrypted Wi-Fi networks.

7. Slow App Fixes or Patches

App development does not halt with just the launch; and hackers move in fast. Apps that lack timely security fixes or patches are the most vulnerable and are very much prone to security breaches. Hackers take advantage of the fact that your app is not rolling out security updates as often as it should, putting user data at risk.

(Statistics Source: Statista)