A Comprehensive Guide for Ensuring Android App Security

The reliance on mobile applications has increased over the years due to the increase of smartphone users and the ability to access the internet using mobile devices. People use the applications to perform different functionalities like banking, music, education, e-commerce, logistics, etc. There are 7.1 billion mobile users, expected to grow by 2025 to 7.49 billion, according to Statista.

Due to the convenience of the applications being a daily tool for all smartphone users, developers must ensure app security by implementing the best mobile security practices. Software teams must develop a security plan they follow every time they build an application to keep their user’s data safe.

Why Should I Make My App Secure?

There are several benefits that one gets from implementing app security. The security practices are both good for the developers and users as they are the main users of the application. The main reasons for keeping your Android app secure are as follows:

• Protecting sensitive information. Android applications collect sensitive data from users, i.e., health information, financial data like credit and debit card details, and personal information like names, addresses, streets, postal codes, etc. Proper app security protects all the data from cyber threats like phishing, which hackers can use for wrong jobs like identity theft, selling on darknet marketplaces, etc.
• Prevents companies and developers from paying hefty fines. Following the correct security guidelines as a developer makes your application free from attacks, hence protecting your data from threats. Suppose you fail to implement the security practices. In that case, you may end up paying fines to regulatory bodies like GDPR, CCPA, etc., for failing to comply and paying a hacker’s ransom for you to get your data back and prevent them from publishing the data on marketplaces and online platforms.
• Improving your trust amongst users and enhancing your reputation. When users understand that you followed the correct security guidelines when building your Android application, they trust you and have confidence when they download and use it. It will make them refer the application to other users, resulting in more downloads and higher ratings on your application. Better reviews rank you on Google Play, leading to more downloads and a better reputation.
• Blocks all cyber threats. Keeping your Android app secure prevents it from getting attacked by hackers who may try to find vulnerabilities and misuse your user’s data. They make it safe for users and developers to be sure there are no vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit and manipulate both user and developer.

Top 8 App Security Best Practices for Android Developers

1.Manage Your App Sessions

Sessions ensures that only authorized users have access to your application. Implement session management using the timeouts and termination when users sign out. Software teams must ensure proper security for session tokens during transmission and storage. If you miss protecting your sessions, hackers can access your application user’s data, like logins, and use it to manipulate your application and steal sensitive information.

2. Implement Encryption for Your Application

Encryption involves protecting your Android app data using an encryption key after decoding all the data into other forms. It protects all types of data that move between the servers and clients. Remember to use CBC or CTR mode when implementing encryption on functions like HMAC-SHA1, HMAC-SHA-256, HMAC-SHA-512, etc.

When implementing cryptography, use 256-bit AES and remember to use SecureRandom to get random cryptographic keys and numbers. Don’t forget to implement encryption on third-party applications to avoid implementing insecure code in your applications.

3. Use HTTPS protocol for Communication

Android application uses different communication protocols when there is communication between the server and client, ensuring it uses a good certificate that only supports communication over HTTPS protocol. You protect your application users from cyber threats like man-in-the-middle attacks that aim to intercept and get sensitive information during data transfer from the server to the client. Ensure your SSL certificates come from a reliable and trusted SSL provider.

4. Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication on your Android app improves security by providing extra protection after the normal sign-in. The application requires the user to provide an authentication code sent to their phone number, authenticator app, or email address, mainly in the form of OTP or using other methods like facial recognition and biometrics.

When an unauthorized party tries to log into someone else’s account, they won’t manage to sign in as they don’t have access to the OTP which promotes app security by blocking users with ill intentions from accessing your user’s account without your permission.

5. Use a Code Signing Certificate

Code signing certificate promotes app security by ensuring the users only install the legitimate application. The certification ensures the users can verify the author code, authenticate the code, and use cryptography for extra protection. It protects application users from cyber threats, protecting their data from attacks.

6. Penetration Testing

It’s a cyber security method where security experts test the Android app to ensure there are no vulnerabilities before the final launch. Normally done using full house teams, hiring freelancers or announcing a bug bounty on bounty programs like Hackerone. If there are any issues or bugs, the team fixes them before the final publication.

7. Release updates regularly

Release updates regularly for your Android applications. It fixes all security bugs and vulnerabilities that may exist within your application and affect your users. Apart from the vulnerabilities, it improves the app security using the new features provided by the developer.

Your application can also rely on other third-party APIs and libraries to extend its functionality. Remember also to ensure they are up to date to ensure safe communication between your application and libraries. Google allows developers who use Google Play Services to force the user to perform an update on their device to have the latest version of the application that is secure and safe to use.

Other dependencies like SDK, its manager, and tools mainly found in the developer environment under Android Studio. Go through them and ensure you use the correct version.

8. Use the correct app permissions

Correct permissions make the app function properly, improving app security. Allow only a specific number of third-party applications or APIs to have access to your application. Let them only have access to your application during the usage time instead of giving it the freedom to access it all the time.

Only allow permissions that your application needs. For example, don’t provide location access permission when, in real sense, you don’t need it. The easier way to implement this is to use intents that power your application to push the requests to another Android application with the required permission.

Conclusion

The guide covered several reasons we must ensure app security during the development cycle and how to implement it. Developers and software teams must work hard to follow and implement all the latest security updates when dealing with their applications. Better Android app security guarantees more users, higher revenues, and a good reputation due to better reviews and downloads.