Modern mobile applications are prone to several threats. With the surge in the number of hacking incidents, it serves as the need to enhance your security levels. Securing apps is becoming day by day difficult as they are operational on different devices and operating systems which is beyond the control of the app developers. Safeguarding of the app irrespective of the environment they are operational is a challenge that can be dealt with by app shielding.
App shielding
App shielding is a critical measure which makes the app resistant to any form of intrusion. What it does is that it block attacks and ensures that enterprises are protected from the outcomes of serious security breaches. App shielding does make it difficult for hackers to penetrate and initiate attacks. It relies on a series of techniques in the prevention of code manipulation types and security gaps.
The concept of application shielding adopts a proactive stance and prevents attacks. They are not going to react mode and prefer a reaction to an event. They turn out to be a critical defence mechanism against attacks and risks to confidentiality. It is expected to pave the way for a damaged reputation and loss in terms of confidence. Before we go ahead there is a need to understand app shielding and its benefits at length.
Apps turn out to be a convenient feature and no business would want to miss out on the opportunity to easily connect with customers. But with the growing use of the apps, hackers have gone on to emerge who cash in on the opportunity and steal data. This works out to be the case with banking or financial services when there arises an exchange of sensitive information. At the same time, the number of data breaches has reported a major surge in the last few years.
All the figures point to the fact that app shielding is no longer a choice but a necessity It is known to complicate the process of reverse engineering for hackers. Hence it increases the resistance of applications to withstand any number of unwanted accesses. To counter privacy it is a solid remedy and protects intellectual property.
The importance of app shielding
For any organization that does not want to compromise on security app shielding is important. Without it, there is a risk to data integrity and businesses may fall prey to attacks time and time again. Below are some of the ample reasons why you need to invest your time and effort in app shielding.
- Nearly 67 % of businesses have reported an increase in the number of attacks due to credential leaks. App shielding protects the reputation of the business by ensuring that there are no unwanted information leaks.
- Mobile platforms are the main target of the fraudsters. The risks associated with mobile apps are increasing and app shielding is important to keep up with the evolving security vulnerabilities and threats.
- Finance and healthcare sectors should never continue without app shielding. It is a must-have security measure since a single breach can result in customers losing out to the competition
- Application shielding is known to protect intellectual property by making the apps resilient against runtime attacks
- App shielding facilitates enabling certain secure features that could otherwise pose a serious security threat. Hence it may present an opportunity of missing out on growth.
For all those who are exploring the possibility of gaining a competitive edge in the security-compromised app market it is evident to earn the trust of customers app shielding is the way forward.
The working of app shielding
App shielding peps up the security levels via code obfuscation, anti-tampering and white box cryptography let us figure out how the three of them offer protection to your apps.
Code obfuscation
The process is undertaken to protect IP and prevent attackers from reverse engineering. The altering of the code takes place in such a way that the behaviour of the app is unchanged. At the same time, it is known to confuse the hackers. In addition to the methods, the developers are known to manipulate the codes that would make it difficult for the attackers to keep track without making any structural changes to the app.
Whitebox cryptography
Sensitive data are stored in a device that can be misused. White box cryptography is known to protect and hide the encryption keys. Exposed encryption keys are an opportunity for hackers to launch an attack. Following this process, it is reasonably difficult for a hacker to locate the original key despite the cryptographic algorithms being available and open to modification. They are similar to obfuscation but could end up using anti-tampering methods in arriving at the desired result.
Anti- tampering
The method ensures that the hackers are not able to figure out the decryption method. Such a method provides them access to the software. It goes one step ahead by providing an additional layer of security making it difficult for the hacker to decode the encryption. It is known to effectively check the hash codes and checksum to counter illegal modifications to the problem.
To sum up thing’s app shielding is a powerful security solution. This is known to speed up the pen testing methods and ensure a faster time to market. At the same time, it meets rigorous security requirements by tackling screen monitoring, code injection, screenshots and keylogging
There is a possibility that the app security could be compromised because of reverse engineering, execution environment, duplication of apps and repackaged apps published in alternative app stores. Their objective is not to merely pass the security audit reports, but it ensure that the loss is prevented due to poor brand image resulting from repeated attacks. All the components of an app are secured and this enables the introduction of new features.
Hence special attention is to be paid when it comes to an app shielding solution. Not only the tool should be scalable but it has to align up with the third party tools.