Android apps are known to have their shortcomings in terms of security. That’s why it’s the responsibility of every Android app development company to take certain security measures to ensure that the apps they develop are as safe as possible.
With the requirement for apps increasing at an exponential rate, it’s an extremely exciting time for every Android app development company out there, as the opportunities are almost endless. However, it’s the responsibility of Android application developers to make sure that the apps they develop are secure.
Moreover, Android apps have a reputation for not being the most secure, and this is why every Android app development company must pay special attention to Android app security. Here are a couple of ways they can do this:
HTTPS Security Is the Key
Transport Layer Security (TLS), also referred to as, Secure Socket Layer, is used extremely frequently as an integral ingredient for communications between users and serves that are encrypted. However, it’s been found that Android application developers sometimes use this security measure incorrectly, thereby making an Android app’s data susceptible to interception by hackers. That’s why it’s recommended that an Android app development company should make it a point to use security measures wisely.
Instead of using SSL or HTTP, HTTPS is a great way to go. By using this connection — on a server that is set up with a certification that’s been issued by a certificate authority that’s trusted — Android application developers can ensure the app is safe from malicious attacks over the network.
“Threat Modeling” Ensures Data Isn’t Leaked
One of the biggest issues Android app development services face is the leakage of data when Android application developers fail to comprehend that the information stored on the app may be accessed by other apps. Furthermore, app data that has been saved on multiple devices may be accessed without one’s knowledge. That’s why, when an Android app is being tested, “Threat Modeling” is extremely important.
This process helps an Android app development company make sure that data that is private isn’t being leaked and stolen by malicious entities. Aggressive testing is one of the most important steps while developing an app, to ensure that it is as secure as it can be.
Limit Permissions
When it comes to Android application development, it’s always a better idea to keep the permissions your app requests to a bare minimum. For better security, it’s best for Android application developers to avoid asking the user for access to private permissions. The logic is quite simple, actually — the higher the number of permissions you request access for, lower are the chances of a user trusting you.
It’s obvious that a user won’t feel comfortable giving an app access to things like their photos, calls, contacts, etc. This way, Android app development companies have decided to follow in the footsteps of iOS in terms of placing high restrictions on apps from having the ability to meddle with users’ private data. For instance, a security measure in terms of limiting permissions involves instructing users to manually delete data when they are using an app that lets them get rid of unwanted images from their SD card.
Use ProGuard
The data of an Android app can be seriously compromised if hackers somehow manage to get hold of the source code. That’s where ProGuard comes into play. This tool, which comes with the Android SDK, can be used to complicate the source code so that it stays safe from malicious attacks.
Encrypt Every Last Bit of Saved Data
Did you know that in Android devices, there’s easy access to data that’s been stored by an Android app within the environment of its sandbox? This is precisely the reason why data must never — under any circumstances — be stored in plain text.
If sensitive data really needs to be saved, it’s the responsibility of an Android app development company to encrypt this data by making use of AES. In case sensitive data such as passwords need to be locally stored, it’s best to always store a hash, and then make a comparison of new password’s hash value with the resultant. Android application developers must always ensure to do this, as it is their responsibility to make the app as secure as possible and keep sensitive data safe from predators.
Validation Is More Important Than You Think
It is the responsibility of an Android app development company to validate input fields such as usernames and passwords. With SQL injection queries, trespassers can easily get hold of private data — and this is a serious issue. It’s really easy for this to happen, though — all it takes are Android application developers who don’t validate fields. Yes, that’s it. This is why it’s important to make use of technologies such as DEP and ASLR to contain the security issues of an Android application.
Wrap Your App
In the world of Android application development, ‘App wrapping’ is one of the simplest and fastest ways of safely deploying an Android app. If Android application developers wrap the app from everything else of the device and encapsulate it, it’ll thrive better in an environment that is its own, and will be safer, and more secure.
Blog summary:
Every Android app development company must always strive to make sure that the apps they develop are as secure as they can be. To do this, there are a couple of security measures they can take. For instance, using SSL or HTTP makes an Android app more prone to interception by hackers, which is why using HTTPS is wiser. Using this connection can help Android application developers make sure that the app they create is safe from hackers.
Another way to secure Android apps is by limiting the permissions the app asks for. If an app asks for too many permissions, users are unlikely to trust this app. Android application developers should also try to encrypt saved data using AES, as well as use ProGuard — a tool that comes with the Android SDK — to obfuscate source code; as both these measures can significantly improve the security of an Android application.
Furthermore, before an app is launched, it should be tested aggressively to make sure it isn’t able to leak any sensitive data. It’s also the responsibility of an Android app development services to validate each and every input field of the app, so that private data such as usernames and passwords are secure. This can be done with the help of technologies like ASLR and DEP.
Finally, Android app developers must always make it a point to wrap the Android app and segment it from the rest of the device, so that it is encapsulated in a managed environment, which in turn will make the app more secure.
