There are the maximum number of security flaws in mobile apps which remains unknown, as compared to any other system. There are many security issues spread across various business apps.
People might think that it is just an app, but the fact is that the smaller business entities which lack the potential and resources to make their apps more secure but make rigorous advertisements of their apps, which most of the people tend to fall for. Though the mobile apps are complicated in nature, it is easy to predict the application security flaws in them which is usually known tothe bad guys.
- Certain technical security issues in mobile apps are:
- Communication sessions that are not encrypted.
- Passwords that are not strong enough.
- Injecting SQL
- Certain sensitive information still remains even after uninstalling the app.
- For establishing a link to the critical back-end system, cryptographic keys, and hard-coded passwords that are used.
Such security issues can promptly cause risk to the business and complianceissues for PCI DSS, HIPAA, etc. In order to spot and remove the security issues completely, the challenges need to be addressed first. This can be achieved by including the mobile apps in the information risk management program which would enable them to undergo evaluation during SDLC and other current security assessments after making changes in the application environment. The apps need to be viewed from various aspects of penetration testing, forensics, and source code analysis as this would reveal several things.
- Various free sources for mobile app security are:
- OWASP Mobile Security Project.
- Cloud Security Alliance Mobile Working Group’s June 2016.
- Whitepaper Mobile Application Security Testing Initiative.
- Mobile Health App Developers: FTC Best Practices.
- NIST Special Publication 800-163 Vetting the Security of Mobile Applications.
Mobile apps provide opportunities for businesses as well as gains obtains through wicked means. Though they do not store any essential information and seem to be harmless, they can help an organization move into a situation that can negatively affect the organization as well as their business.
