The Ultimate Guide To Strengthening Application Development Security

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November 7, 2022 Web development

Creating a website is one of the best ways to reach your target customers and boost your sales significantly, but is it enough? Usually, it isn’t, especially when customers find your platform functional for daily use. This is where application development comes in.

Developing an app is a great way to create, foster, and nurture customer relationships and communities. Plus, it generates additional sales, reduces marketing costs, provides a competitive edge, broadens your coverage, and boosts customer experience.

If you plan to develop an app someday, make sure it has robust security and data privacy solutions in place. This can help your app stand out and outshine your competitors.

If your app isn’t secured enough, hackers may:

Access app data and steal passwords.
Intercept personal information coming in and out of the app.
Steal business assets and intellectual properties.
Install an app infected with malware.
Modify your app code and steal data for activities related to fraud.

If you need help, you may visit your local IT service providers or click here for IT support in Albuquerque in case you’re around the area. Also, you may read on to learn some of the best practices to strengthen the security of your app.

Use Encryption Codes To Protect Your App Code

If you have experience in app development, you probably know how to make a source code. However, even a simple mistake can make your app vulnerable to bugs. Hackers can use this to modify your code by creating a public app copy. This is where encryption codes come in.

Encryption is the process of mixing up codes until there’s nothing but a meaningless combination of numbers and letters. With this, your app code is secured and protected. Even if hackers steal some data from you, it won’t make any sense at all because of the code.

Here are some encryption tips that can be helpful:

Make sure your codes are agile to perform updates after a data breach.
Test your app security regularly to identify potential bugs and repair them.
Make sure your codes are easy to patch and update.
Minify your codes to prevent other people from stealing them.

Follow these simple tips for better encryption that even hackers can’t access easily. If you need help, you may check IT services from Technology Advisory Group or other IT service providers in your area.

Conduct A Security Assessment

Once your app has been developed, you might be too excited to launch it as soon as possible, but hold on. Before doing so, you must ensure its usability and functionality through testing.

On top of that, conduct a thorough security check to identify potential vulnerabilities and bugs. And your team must perform routine security testing even after the app launches to keep it secure and free from bugs.

However, app developers often tend to skip this phase to proceed with app launching. But keep in mind that such carelessness can put not only your data but also your customers’ sensitive information in danger.

Here are some actionable tips that may help:

Audit your codes to discover any loopholes in your app’s authorization and authentication processes.
Use emulators to determine if your app can function properly under simulated circumstances.
Assess your access controls to find out if there are any security issues you need to address before they become a serious problem.

It’s important to understand that keeping your app secure is a long process that requires consistent efforts. Security tests should be done regularly to detect issues as early as possible before they become destructive.

You may also consult a network security expert to test and identify bugs and vulnerabilities and to ensure app security at all times.

Secure Data Storage

Because of increasing customer mistrust, secure data storage is becoming more crucial than ever. However, many app builders still fail to understand its importance.

When you develop a data storage system, you want to ensure that all sensitive data should never be shared with the following:

Third-party companies and service providers
Keyboard caches
IPC (Interprocess Communication) mechanisms
End-user’s device
Application log

Also, keep in mind that your app data and code must be stored locally. Nonetheless, you need to be careful when storing data to minimize security risks that can put anyone in danger.

Here are some actionable tips that may help you:

Keep all files, login credentials, and databases encrypted using a keychain or an SQL (Structured Query Language) server.
Make sure to keep all data in transit secure with the help of a virtual private network (VPN) or secure sockets layer (SSL).
Prioritize data management by encrypting your system using new access codes and security keys.
Take advantage of your analytics to determine how your data moves on the app.

You can also use auto-delete features to automatically remove unnecessary data after a pre-established period.

Have High-Level Authentication Procedures

You want to make sure that your app requires not only complex passwords but also mandatory password updates after a certain period. This ensures a strong authentication procedure that prohibits cybercriminals from hacking the system.

Below are some actionable tips you can follow.

Use multifactor authentication using random one-time passwords (OTPs) to make it more difficult for cybercriminals to hack user devices.
Consider using additional security layers like Single sign-on (SSO) or biometric security scans during authentication for more robust app security.

Biometric scans are best applied on highly sensitive apps, such as banking. Scanning faces, fingerprints, and retinas almost make it impossible for cybercriminals to infiltrate a device.

Implement Extra Preventive Measures For Bring-Your-Own Devices (BYOD)

If your employees can use their own devices for work purposes, you might need to implement additional security measures. In this way, you can prevent the transfer of potential threats from their devices to your systems.

Here are some tips you can follow:

Have a VPN, and make sure your employees use it all the time.
Use firewall, anti-spam, anti-malware, or antivirus software.
Enable remote-wipe features to eliminate data belonging to other people.

Final Words

Developing an application helps businesses increase their customer reach and boost their sales. However, you want to ensure that your app is secure at all times to protect not only your information but your customers’ sensitive data. If you need help, don’t hesitate to consult any IT service providers or application security specialists right away.