The integration of security measures is no longer a secondary consideration within software development projects. As malicious tactics continue to evolve, the implementation of robust cybersecurity measures has become an imperative for both established enterprises and emerging startups.

According to a projection by Statista, cyberattacks such as network intrusion, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, phishing scams, ransomware incidents, and man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks are anticipated to inflict a financial toll exceeding $452 billion upon businesses based in the United States. These attacks not only result in significant periods of operational downtime but also inflict reputational harm upon the affected organizations.

Although awareness about cyber security has increased, the rate of security breaches reached alarming levels in 2023. Here are a couple of notable data breaches, which indicate that no company is immune to hacking attacks.

In November 2023, Samsung’s customer information was breached because of a third-party app vulnerability that affected UK-based users who used the app to make online purchases in 2020. This led to unauthorized access to personal information like names, phone numbers, emails and home addresses.

In October 2023, Walmart’s data breach was reported, with 85,000 individuals being affected by a cyber attack. It exposed protected health information like patient names, dates of birth, and prescription data. Walmart informed its customers of the attack and reported the incident to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights in October, yet all detailed information about the breach remained undisclosed.

However, all is not lost. Development and security teams in software development companies around the world are implementing protection methods for safeguarding sensitive data.

What is Web Application Security: Understanding the Fundamentals from the Ground Up

Web application security safeguards application data and code from cyberattacks and data breaches. It encompasses security measures at each phase of the software application development lifecycle (SDLC), including design, development, and deployment.

It entails the implementation of methods to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities, reducing the risk of attacks. The most commonly used countermeasures and security controls in software projects include:

• Automated static code analysis
• Security testing of new software releases
• Use of application firewalls to define and enforce  activities
• Encryption and decryption programs
• Biometric authentication systems

Security Risks Your Web Application May Face

Web applications encounter various attack types based on attacker goals, the nature of work performed in your organization, and its security gaps. These include:

1. Zero-day Vulnerabilities: Attackers exploit system vulnerabilities that are known but not yet patched.
2. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Injects client-side scripts to access or manipulate user data.
3. SQL Injection (SQLi): Exploits database query vulnerabilities to access or modify data.
4. Denial-of-Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS): Overloads servers with attack traffic.
5. Memory Corruption: Unintentional memory modification exploited for malicious behavior.
6. Buffer Overflow: Overwrites adjacent memory locations, enabling code injection.
7. Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): Triggers unauthorized requests using the victim’s credentials.
8. Credential Stuffing: Uses automated scripts to input stolen credentials from one breach to attempt to gain unauthorized access to another website.
9. Unauthorized Page Scraping: Bots steal webpage content for various malicious purposes.
10. API Abuse: Exploits vulnerabilities in APIs to intercept data or inject code.
11. Undocumented/Unapproved APIs: Undisclosed APIs expose sensitive data without security oversight.
12. Misuse of Third-Party Libraries: Vulnerabilities in third-party tools compromise data processing.
13. Attack Surface Misconfigurations: Unintended vulnerabilities due to oversight or misconfigurations like misconfigured logging, disabled security controls, lack of encryption, improper versioning, and excess privileges.

8 Strategies that Ensure the Security of Your Web Application

By implementing the following fundamental web application security services, you can effectively bolster the defenses of your organization against evolving cyber threats.

1. DDoS Mitigation: Safeguarding against overwhelming malicious traffic by deploying specialized filtration and high-bandwidth capacity solutions.
2. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Filtering out potential threats and exploiting web application vulnerabilities is crucial in rapidly evolving threat environments.
3. API Gateways: Identifying and blocking traffic targeting API vulnerabilities while managing and monitoring API traffic effectively.
4. DNSSEC: Ensuring secure DNS traffic routing to prevent interception by attackers.
5. Encryption Certificate Management: Outsourcing SSL/TLS encryption processes to manage private keys, certificate renewal, and revocation efficiently.
6. Bot Management: Utilizing machine learning to distinguish human users from automated traffic and prevent unauthorized access.
7. Client-Side Security: Monitoring third-party JavaScript dependencies and code changes to detect and prevent malicious activities.
8. Attack Surface Management: Providing centralized tools to map, identify, and mitigate security risks across the attack surface.

Leverage the Benefits of Web Application Security Best Practices Employed by Unified Infotech

Cybersecurity is an actual business enabler! Our team of web application development engineers has the expertise to fortify software applications against unauthorized access, data breaches, and malicious activities.

The software developers adopt the following protective countermeasures against prevalent security risks outlined by the OWASP Top 10 list:

• Validating Inputs: This method involves screening of data inputs. It helps developers prevent injection attacks and malicious code infiltration.
• Utilizing Robust Encryption: Stored user data encryption and HTTPS protocol implementation help safeguard against data theft.
• Enforcing Strong Authentication: Multi-factor authentication and access control integration deter unauthorized access to applications.
• Monitoring API Usage: Vigilance in tracking APIs prevents potential security gaps and mitigates risks associated with shadow APIs.
• Documenting Code Changes: By maintaining thorough documentation, our development team can promptly identify and address security vulnerabilities.

Ensuring Enterprise-Grade Application Security: How do We Use Threat Modeling to Build Security into Software Development Projects

Threat Mode­ling is the process of protecting sensitive­ information, software applications, and business operations. It use­s system diagrams, hypothetical situations, and vulnerability testing. We­ incorporate Threat Modeling into our DevOps proce­ss. This prevents common cybersecurity problems like­ improper error handling, missing data encryption, weak input validation, and poor authentication.

It enhances cybersecurity and fosters trust in critical business systems. Our web application security engineers pinpoint vulnerabilities, conduct risk assessments, and recommend corrective measures. The process involves creating data flow diagrams (DFDs) and visualizing attack paths, while prioritizing assets and risks. This enables our software application development team to grasp network security and architecture comprehensively.

Some common examples of Threat Modeling methods and tools include attack tree, trike, CIA method, VAST, LINDDUN, and STRIDE frameworks.

Web Application Security Testing – The Key to Finding Security Vulnerabilities

Web security testing seeks out security vulnerabilities in Web applications and their setup, primarily focusing on the application layer. This involves sending various inputs to provoke errors and assess unexpected behavior. These software testing methodologies, sometimes considered as negative tests, evaluate whether the system or software application is performing any unintended actions.

Importantly, web application security testing is not solely about testing security features like authentication and authorization. It also involves ensuring other features, such as business logic and input validation, are implemented securely. The objective is to verify that all functions exposed in the web applications are secure.

Types of Web Application Security Solutions and Tools We Employ

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Detects code flaws by analyzing source files. This allows for quick detection and collaborative troubleshooting.
• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Proactively simulates security breaches. It helps to identify exploitable flaws and evaluate applications in production for runtime errors.
• Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST): Combines SAST and DAST elements. It enables real-time analysis within the application for accurate results.
• Runtime Application Security Protection (RASP): Continuously monitors applications for security breaches. It alerts our IT team by automatically responding to threats and terminating suspicious sessions.
• Mobile Application Security Testing (MAST): Assesses mobile app security through static and dynamic analysis. This helps to identify issues like malicious networks and data leakage.
• Web Application Firewall (WAF): Filters HTTP traffic to protect against various attacks like XSS and SQLi, functioning as part of a holistic security stack.
• Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP): Centralizes control of cloud-native application security tools. technologies like CSPM, CWPP, and API discovery for comprehensive security management.

Wrapping Up

Cybersecurity is an essential part of a comprehensive software security program. Unified Infotech collaborates with you to safeguard your business through advanced cybersecurity solutions and web application security services. Our innovative security approach incorporates zero trust principles, empowering you to thrive amidst uncertainty and cyber threats.

We assist you in effectively managing and mitigating risks and vulnerabilities in today’s cloud environments. Our developers integrate solutions to safeguard your digital assets, sensitive data, and digital users against evolving threats.

Leverage the latest cloud-based cybersecurity solutions to bolster your access management, network security, and endpoint security across various devices and infrastructure.

The post Redefining Cybersecurity for Software Projects with Web Application Security Solutions appeared first on Unified Infotech.

But are all these apps safe to use?

The number of mobile malware targeting various mobile devices increased by 54% in 2017.

Along with that, the study shows that 95% of Android devices are affected by malware.

With that being said, how secure is your mobile app?

Smartphone is an inseparable part of our life today. We are using it for everything, from booking tickets to paying bills, keeping up with our health stats and many other things. All this we are doing with the help of various mobile apps available on the app stores.

If these apps stop being secure, then it might create issues like IP theft or fraud, data theft, unauthorized access. Along with that, as an app owner, you’ll face issues such as angry user reviews and loss of revenue and reputation.

Before you start on securing your app, take a quick look at why your app needs to fulfill the proper security standards.

Is It Important To Have A Mobile App Security Standards?

Until a few years ago, you only had to worry about being a victim of cybercrime on your computer. Smartphone users rarely did any kind of banking or online transaction with their smartphones.

But with the improvement of smartphones and reduced data charges, smartphones are being used for everything today. And that leaves the users open to a large number of threats.

Mobile applications today come with a certain degree of inherent security. For example, if Facebook’s app server goes down, the app saved on your phone won’t work. But installing a fake or malicious app from a third party app store, or opening a malicious link or attachment in an email or social media messages can compromise the security of your device.

Even though mobile malware threat is not yet as serious as computer malware, the numbers of threats are still rising every day. According to studies done by Kaspersky Lab mobile security solutions, the number of attacks on mobiles through malicious software is around 116.5 million, double the amount of 2017 which was 66.4 million.

With this kind of rising threat, if you are thinking about developing an app for your business, then you need to follow a certain checklist to make your app safe for your users. But what should be on that checklist?

Below is the checklist followed by our organization when it comes to the security system of mobile applications developed by us. This checklist is the result of extensive research into threats faced by mobile apps and

With this kind of rising threat, if you are thinking of developing an app for your business, then you need to follow a certain checklist to make your app safe for your users.

But what should be on that checklist?

Below is the checklist followed by our organization when it comes to the security system of mobile apps developed by us. This checklist is the result of extensive research into threats faced by mobile apps and the security measures needed to save them and our users from malicious software and threats such as ID theft, phishing, loss of online banking details, etc.

The following checklist can be of real help to you if you are looking for a comprehensive list of the things your app needs to make it safe. So let’s take a look at this mobile app security checklist.

Is Your Mobile App Secure? Check This List To Know

A mobile app is basically a few simple things rolled into one- there is a product code, the business rationale towards the back end system, and the customer side, databases, APIs funneling data between the two, the device its operating framework and the user.

Whether you are a big organization or a small startup, having a mobile application with strong security in an aggressive market can make a big difference for your business.

Here is a mobile app security checklist for you to follow, to give your users complete safety when they use the application.

1. Writing The Right Code: Build It From The Ground Up

Your app’s source code can have vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities can come from developer error, not testing the code properly, or maybe the hackers are simply targeting your app specifically.

Native apps are different from web applications. Web Applications are basically data that is data and software that exists on the server. Native apps are on the other hand have their own codes that reside on the user’s handset once installed. This makes it easy for hackers to attack the mobile.

So how can you make your app secure?

• Encrypt your code. A well written and secure code is well encrypted and hard to read, so make sure to use a modern, well-supported algorithm with API encryption.
• Test source codes for vulnerabilities.
• While adding security measures, keep in mind that it should not compromise the performance and device battery, file size and runtime memory.
• Just because your app has the approval of the app store does not make it 100% safe. In 2018, Google removed 13 apps from app store for containing malware, after they had already been downloaded 500,000 times. App store’s security checking is not infallible, so check your app for security issues yourself.

2. Enhance security features on a platform-by-platform Basis

Apps are available on different devices today. So does one security measure mean that it will be secure for all platforms?

Absolutely not.

Based on the device and platform being used, apps need different kinds of security measures. It is said that iOS is more secure than the Android platform. Android being an open source operating system, is more open to threats and problems related to mobile app security. This is why you need to implement different security measures for different platforms and devices.

3. Allow user permissions

By giving the users option to choose their own security settings based on their personal preferences, you can provide them with ultimate security standards in your application. This way the app will ask the users permission for accessing different data on the phone, and the user will have the choice to let the app access the data on their phone or deny the request.

4. Be Careful Of Using Third-Party Libraries

This is probably one of the most neglected points when it comes to security of mobile apps. Many mobile application developers use third party libraries to write codes in order to develop their app quickly. Such libraries offer codes which you can use to build their apps. But are these codes secure?

Most of the time these third-party library codes are tampered with by the hackers. Using these codes for your app without testing them first means decreasing the security of your own app. So make sure to test the third party library codes before implementing them in your own app.

5. Tamper Proof Techniques: Necessary For Safety

It is a general practice of the hackers to embed malicious codes into mobile applications, which will let them access any data in your app and then use it for their benefit.

Implement a tamper-proof technique such as checksums, digital signatures and other techniques to detect violation to your app codes.  in your application means getting an alert anytime someone makes any changes to your application code. Having a log of code changes that are done by authorized sources means bad tampering with your app code can be detected easily.

Try to implement different trigger against code changes on different levels of the app. This will give you a caution when any altercations happen to your codes. For example, confirmation of the signature of the application at run time, performing the environment checks, identifying the app installer, etc.

6. Securing The Data During Transit And Storage

The main challenge any mobile application faces when it comes to security is the interaction they need to do with outer system, through Wi-Fi, cellular system, VPN, non-encoded systems, etc.

While you transfer data from the device to the cloud, it is vulnerable to external attacks and theft. Which is why encode the basic client data such as login information, passwords and any individual information collected by the app.

Putting away the information in scrambled information compartments makes it harder for the hackers to access or use them. Additionally, any information that is pointless should never be stored away within the phone memory.

Securing the data during transit and storage is a crucial part of the security checklist for your app.

7. Repeated Testing: Once Is Not Enough

Repeated application testing is one of the ways you can make sure that your mobile app is secure to use. On each phase of development, you need to thoroughly test the app to eliminate any security problems.

While testing the mobile app, test it from both the client and the server side. This way you can figure out the vulnerabilities on both ends, and how much load the app can actually take.

Updating your app on regular intervals makes it easier to figure out the holes in your codes and patch them up. But check the updated versions as well before you release it on the app store.

8. Cryptography Tools And Techniques: Use The Latest Kinds

An unavoidable part of any mobile app security checklist, the cryptography tool and techniques have more effect over the security measures of your app than you think. To make your app most secure, use the latest cryptography tools and techniques. The use of backdated protocols such as MD5 and SHA1 are not enough to provide ample mobile security.

Developers need to use cutting edge encryption APIs, for example, 256-piece AES encryption joined with SHA-256 for hashing. App developers can put resources into danger displaying, penetration testing, etc.

9. A Trusted Backend

Most hackers attack with the intent of stealing information, and almost 72% of this attack happens on backend portion of any app. It is crucial for you to protect the backend of your app as it is the storage for all your data which you need to collect to run the app.

In many cases, people store all the information remotely or on cloud server. This exposes the backend to certain vulnerabilities and puts the information of your users and employees at risk.

Just like the frontend system, you can eliminate the issues and vulnerabilities of the backend system through security testing and data encryption before deployment.

10. Use Of Data Encryption

Data encryption is an effective way for you to secure sensitive user data before storing it on the backend. It translates data into another form or code, that can only be read by authorized parties.

It is easy to encrypt Data or plaintext using encryption algorithm and encryption key. You can access/read the encrypted data, or ciphertext if you decrypt the data with the proper key.

Make sure to encrypt whatever data you collect through your app. And only authorized parties have access to the encryption key.

11. The Use Of Authorized API

Always use authorized APIs in your app. The absence of authorized APIs can give hackers access to use your information. Make sure you check the username and password, or if the token is signed and not expired is involved in a proper authentication process.

Through the authorization process, the resources are check to see what your user can access and modify and what they can not access at all. Both authentication and authorization process are interdependent. And you can use them together to give only the right users access to your API. So make sure that Authorized API is an important part of your mobile app security checklist.

12. High-Level Authentication

Mobile apps face weak authentication protocol as one of the top vulnerabilities. As an app owner or developer, you need to give authentication utmost priorities when it comes to security of your mobile app.

Create a strong password policy so that it cannot be broken easily enough. Passwords are one of the most important and common modes of authentication so make sure that it can’t be broken easily.

Use multi-factor authentication process. It can be through OTP via text message or through authentication code sent over email. You can make the multi-factor authentication process even more secure by the biometric process.  

13. Least Privileges With Codes

To secure the source code for your app, give only a limited number of people the privilege to access or modify it. By keeping this network as small as possible you will be limiting the chances of code- tampering and insertion of malicious codes into your source codes.

This may seem like a trivial point in this checklist, but the fewer people know the codes, the better it is for your app’s security.

14. Continuous Updating And Patching The Holes

It is not enough to just build a secure mobile app, but you have to keep updating it to keep it secure for your users to use.

Not updating your app makes it vulnerable to newer threats and types of attacks by the hackers. Continuously updating the app and patching the holes in its code is the best way to keep your app secure.

Mobile app security threats: Android vs. iOS

Let’s take a look at one of the most important differences between Android and iOS devices-

Android os depends on an open source code, which means anyone, even the user of an Android device can tinker with the operating system. On the other hand, iOS is a closed system, and no one can modify the source codes of an iOS device.

Too much tampering with Android system codes and you can create a system vulnerability that can be exploited by the hackers. iOS on the other hand for being a closed system is not easy to target for the hackers.

Does it mean developing security measures for iOS apps is easier than Android apps?

The platform you’re creating for doesn’t diminish the workload as far as security testing and developing applications safely is concerned. There is more ‘dirt’ on Android than iOS.

Even though Apple has a stricter control over which apps get published and distributed through their official app store, there are still some incidents which showed that Apple’s app verification technique may not be completely foolproof. iOS app developers need to have the same attention to security detail while developing an app as an Android app developer should have.

Google, on the other hand, has an open-minded approach to app publishing on its app store. As a result of which many apps containing malware gets published and uploaded on the phone before the user even knows.

Which is why instead of blindly trusting the credibility of the app stores and their security check, secure your mobile app from the very beginning, implementing it on every level of your app so that hackers can not use your app for their malicious intents.

How You Can Fail To Secure Your Mobile App Properly

The top reason why app developers fail to secure their app is the lack of QA and testing. In their hurry of developing and releasing the app, they skip over this process or go through it in a half-hearted manner.

But this is the most important step towards making your app more secure.

After you’ve developed your app, you need to run it through proper testing. Automated and manual testings are the two kinds of tests that any app should go through before you launch them. 

Your app is a combination of different components that are run together with the help of codes. By running your app through proper tests, you can figure out if there are any problems with the codes. One single flaw in your coding can leave your app open to be exploited by a hacker.

Proper testing of your app is not only going to give your mobile app a proper security measure, but it will also give you a look into its functionality. It is an important way to ensure that your app can be downloaded, installed and used without any issues.

Final Word On Mobile App Security

With the constant rise in popularity of mobile phones, users are continuously becoming more app-dependent. And hackers out there are exploiting this dependency to steal personal information, banking information to use it for their own benefit.

In this scenario, having a strong security strategy for your mobile app is not only going to give your user a sense of security but also boost the reputation of your own organization. In addition to that, it will save you the immense cost of fixing a mobile security breach.

Any Mobile App Development Company you hire should apply this mobile security system industriously to ensure your mobile developers can thoroughly consider unintended outcomes of compromised app security. Conveying a simple to-utilize application will diminish the brand esteem in the event that you put client or enterprise data at risk.

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The post Secure Your Mobile App: Follow This 14 Point Security Checklist appeared first on Unified Infotech.