Writing a Comprehensive App Security Strategy

Hundreds of new apps are being developed as we speak. We began using an app for everything- from creating a grocery list to doing online shopping. Still, not every app is safe to use, and some of them can be a true threat to our data and privacy. This is why app developers need to focus on writing stronger app security strategies.

An app security strategy is designed to prevent data and confidential information from the app and its users from being stolen, hijacked, or exploited in any way. Without a comprehensive app security strategy, your app will be considered weak and unsafe to use. If you’re not sure how to write a better app security strategy, but you wish to learn, just keep reading.

Here’s How to Do It, Step by Step.

1. Employ Strong Authentication

Weak authentication is one of the main security risks that allow for breaches and attacks to happen. This is why, in app development, you need to design a strong authentication process.
There are different ways you can make authentication stronger, and here are our top choices:

• only allow your users to save strong passwords (that include a number, an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a symbol, etc.)
• include dual authentication (answering a question or solving a quick test on the spot)

It’s your job to make sure your users are doing the right thing to protect their data, but also to make it hard for anyone to steal their identity and make use of their app data.

2. Restrict Data Collection

As an app developer, you must protect the data of the app users. This is why you should make sure that you restrict the data collection to only that data the app needs to function.
Think about the essential users’ data you need, such as:

• their email address
• their first and last name
• their date of birth, etc.

Then, make sure you only collect the bare essential data and don’t go around collecting users’ photos or asking questions you don’t need an answer to.
The less data you own, the less of a security risk your app is.

3. Perform Data Encryption

To make sure your users’ data is protected and safe, you have to perform different levels of encryption. Encryption will ensure that your data is being transferred in the form of a code that only a person with the matching key could read.
If you don’t include data encryption into your app security strategy, you will:

• allow hackers to easily access your data
• transfer data as plain text
• jeopardize app security

Perform proper data encryption to make sure your app data is safe and protected.

4. Secure the App Server

Every app needs a server that will allow it to operate and provide hosting. Since these servers are publically accessible, they are often a major security threat.
That’s why your app security strategy needs to deal with securing the app server.
Here are the best practices for doing so:

• a web application firewall
• network security scanning
• disable unnecessary open ports to your app
• ensure your server software is constantly being updated
• monitor server logs regularly and looks for suspicious behavior

Protecting your app server is a major security priority, so make sure it’s covered in your app security strategy.

5. Secure Data Storage

Insecure data storage is one of the most prominent data security threats that apps face today. Storing users’ data improperly makes it easier for hackers to reach them, steal them, and exploit them.
This is why you have to create a strong storage strategy that will make sure your app users aren’t affected by this potential security risk.

Here’s what you need to know:

• sensitive private data should not be stored on the device
• use content providers
• request permission when sharing data with other software
• secure network connections to an external or cloud-based storage

Your data storage could be one of your weakest links, so make sure you consider all the options and choose the one that imposes the lowest level of risk. Make sure you know exactly how your app data is stored, where, and who’s the responsibility it is to protect it.

6. Test App Security

Before you decide that your app is all set and ready to be launched, you have to run security tests to ensure you did everything right. Without app testing, you’re taking a huge risk of missing out on potential weak spots and making your app a security threat.
Therefore, include a testing strategy into your app security strategy.
Here’s what we suggest:

• test app vulnerability by checking security loopholes, your countermeasures, and their effectiveness
• try attacking your app in any way possible to check how it responds
• perform penetration testing
• classify all sensitive data that can be accessed in transit, in use, or at rest

From personal information to financial data, hackers will try to steal everything. Do proper testing to ensure your app has no weak spots.

7. Make Security Your Top Priority

App security is one of the most important aspects of app development. It can be more important than the app SEO strategy or design for some users. But, if your employees and developers don’t realize this, you won’t be able to have a strong app security strategy.
This is why another major step in this process should be making sure you’re all on the same page. Here’s how to do it:

• train your employees to understand app security levels and the importance
• insist that your developers work hard on app security
• don’t set unrealistic deadlines that will make them create poor app security

Develop a culture of app security and make sure everyone on the app development team understands it fully.
You can write security reports and have your team read them and give feedback. You can get help from a custom term paper writing service to write it like a true professional and use Canva or Snappa to make it more visually appealing.

Final Thoughts

Writing a comprehensive app security strategy is an essential step in the process of developing a strong, quality app. Use the tips we’ve shared above to be sure that your app is safe to use and will not harm the privacy of any of your users.