4 Unlikely Threats to Your App You Need to Address

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September 14, 2020 Business

In the advanced technology world, we live in today, mobile apps have gained a commanding stand in marketing and the way we do business. As the Smartphone continues to evolve, the world of business is taking a profound shift toward a mobile app-oriented approach to marketing. From small to medium and large ventures, literally, all businesses are using mobile application development to showcase their businesses, reach target clients, and offer excellent customer service. Perhaps inspired by the likes of Facebook’s Mark Z., many tech-oriented minds out there are always burning the midnight oil trying to develop an app that solves a major problem.

4 Unlikely Threats to Your App You Need to Address

But then again, cybersecurity issues are real. Hackers, identity thieves, fraudsters, and cyberbullies have been a persistent pain in the neck to many people in the internet world, from mere users to website designers and developers. If you guessed right, mobile apps are not an exception as far as some of these persistent threats and risks are concerned.

So, you’ve just developed a mobile app that has a huge profit-earning potential. Perhaps a pilot test has also been done, and you’ve confirmed that the app indeed serves the intended purpose. But before you launch the app, is it really safe for your business and your esteemed clients? On this note, let’s look at one plus four unlikely threats to your app that should be addressed ASAP.

1. Data Security Threats:

Computers and computer-inspired devices are built on a branch of technology known as Information technology. Electronic and electric currents are like the blood and lymphatic fluid of these devices.

They just transport and relay information to and from various components of the device. Of course, the information is stored in various parts of the device, often known as “storage”. Now, one of the common challenges that many mobile phone apps face is the lack of secure data storage and handling. A common practice among the app developers is to depend on the client storage for the data. But client storage is not a foolproof sandbox environment where security breaches are not possible.

In the event of an acquisition of the mobile by an adversary, this data can be easily accessed, manipulated, and used. This can result in identity theft, reputation damage, and external policy violation (PCI). This will not only put the affected clients at risk, but it may also end up affecting your company’s reputation and profits in the long run. To curb this threat, vulnerability assessments are necessary to help protect your company’s crucial data from hackers and ill-minded tech pros.

These assessments involve a dual-step process to analyze your application source code (static code analysis), as well as dynamic analysis to check its operational vulnerabilities. From the findings, your app security partners will identify any security loopholes in your application coding and pinpoint any weaknesses that cybersecurity marauders may exploit to their advantage.

Another way to secure data storage across platforms is by using additional layers of encryption over the base level encryption provided by the mobile OS. This gives a massive boost to mobile apps security and reduces your dependence on the default encryption.

2. Insider Attacks

It has been an unlikely threat to many organizations, where employees sign to protect the company’s interests and secrets in writing, only to end up misusing their position. Keep in mind that they have authorized access to the organization’s cloud computing services, so they have all their clients’ sensitive information. Sensitive information, like customer accounts and financial forms, can be used to cause malice. However, for every action, there is a reaction. Secure strategies have been implemented to curb this threat:

Controlled access
Partnerships
Prioritizing initiatives
Implementing technologies such as surveillance

3. Weak Passwords

If we can start with you, how many accounts do you have online, and in how many of them are you using the same password? If you are like most people, you probably use the same password to avoid forgetting or probably losing access to your accounts.

A good number of people also use a password manager to help them save their passwords for future logins. In business organizations, having mobile logins, workmates tend to share work passwords and, worse of it all, use their personal passwords in business accounts. When at work, some may share their passwords with a colleague when they need help while away.

This can also pose a huge risk, even though it may not exactly be in your control. All the same, ensuring that your app requires the use of strong passwords and sometimes biometric credentials as part of access control can help avert some of the risks involved.

4. Mobile Advertising Fraud

Mobile advertising generates a lot of revenue, but sometimes the risks it poses on the app users are immense. Some advertisers may use malware to generate clicks, which to some extent, amounts to ad fraud. Some apps are legit, but some employ catchy traps that generate PPC commissions to them once you view or click the links on the ad content. As a mobile app developer or app owner, it is important to do your source code with some of these marketing gimmicks in mind so that the user is safer and less prone to them.

5. App Cloning

If you’re an avid user of an android or iOS device, you must have come across a “fake” app that doesn’t give you what you are looking for, despite looking almost exactly similar to the original app. Some of these clone apps are just created to deceive the user into downloading them. In the process, users end up innocently granting access permissions to these apps, and that is where the dirty deeds begin.

From causing damage to your phone to stealing your personal information, the deleterious effects of these apps are more than alarming. When designing and developing an app, it is crucial to find ways to reduce the chances of cloning, perhaps by ensuring that it is superior and unique. You may also need to be on the lookout for clone apps, so you can advise your target audience of their availability.

Finally, we all know how addictive the internet can be, especially when using free public Wi-Fi networks. Unbeknownst to many, these open networks carry various data security risks. As much as the threats are unlikely, a significant percentage of those using public logins get malicious attacks. Thankfully, security measures such as the VPN are there to shut all the doors to invasions and prying eyes.

When developing your app, it is important to include information for users on the importance of ensuring personal data security when using public networks. You can advise consumers to use personal Wi-Fi or cellular data as their preferred networks whenever they can. Wi-Fi networks and hotspots should also have a strong password.

About the author:

Allen Brown is a dad of 3 kids and is a keen writer covering a range of topics such as Internet marketing, SEO and more! When not writing, he’s found behind a drum kit.