How to Develop the Next Generation of Highly Secure Apps

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One of the great benefits of the mobile app ecosystem is that it makes our lives more convenient and easier, but the downside is that the more popular these apps become, the more likely they are to be attacked by hackers. As apps play an increasingly important role in our lives, such as conducting financial transactions through our phones or uploading our health data, our personal data is more likely to be leaked. Security attacks not only affect users' personal information and sensitive data, but also pose a huge threat to business, government, and the military.

Therefore, as a developer of the program, you have the responsibility and obligation to ensure the security of your customers' data and ensure that they are not invaded by hackers. One way to protect the security of consumers' private data is to ensure the security of our every operation through security means. When developers are developing mobile apps, they need to pay attention to the following factors.

1. Two-factor authentication

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The passwords we use are easily forgotten or stolen by hackers. Sometimes, it is because the password is too simple, so many people can guess the password after several attempts. For those apps that store a lot of private information, once hackers know it, it means huge losses. Two-factor password authentication can help solve this problem. Its most common form is that when you log in to an app, you can get an email or message containing a random password through a pre-reserved email or mobile phone. Only when you enter this password can you log in to your app. Apps that store your sensitive information should be logged out when you are not using them, and you need to log in again when you use them again, which brings us to the next question we will discuss.

2 Use Oauth2 to build a Mobile API security system

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Maybe you have heard of OAuth, a prototype for securing API services on untrusted devices that provides a token-based authentication method to authorize mobile users. OAuth2 uses this authorization method in that it limits the validity period of the authorization token. When a user logs in to a mobile device, the user enters the login account and password, and an access token is created for the user and stored on the mobile device. Once the access token expires, the user needs to log in again to continue using it. OAuth2 does not require users to store API keys in an unsecured environment. Instead, it can generate an access token that can be temporarily stored in an untrusted environment. This mechanism works very well because even if a hacker obtains the user's access token, it will expire quickly.

3. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

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Ariel Sanchez, a researcher at OActive Labs, tested 40 mobile banking apps from 60 of the world's most influential banks. The results of the study showed that 40% of the audited apps did not verify the authenticity of the SSL certificate. Many apps (about 90%) included some non-SSL links throughout the app. In this case, attackers can intercept traffic and create arbitrary JavaScript/HTML code through Transcend to create a fake login prompt, causing user information leakage. Usually mobile apps cannot effectively perform SSL verification, making users vulnerable to attacks in this regard. Apps that use SSL/TLS for remote communication need to check their service certificates.

4 Encryption

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AES, or Advanced Encryption Standard, is one of the most popular algorithms used for symmetric key encryption. It is also considered the "gold standard" encryption technology; many security-conscious companies require their employees to use AES-256 (256-bit AES) for communications. In fact, companies should use modern algorithms that have been tuned by security organizations, such as 256-bit AES for encryption.

When you design an app, if you can ensure the user's data is safe, then your app will be more attractive to users and help you establish good security factors. This will also help you acquire and retain more users.

To combat these attacks, the world is paying more and more attention to cybersecurity companies, and huge investments are being made. As a result, thousands of jobs are created every year. To support the development of these industries, cybersecurity ecosystems have also developed around the world, concentrating companies, venture capital, talent, and expertise in a small area. Here are some of the top centers in the field of cybersecurity.

1. Silicon Valley

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Silicon Valley is home to the vast majority of leading cybersecurity companies. A large portion of venture capital in the region has gone into anti-virus, anti-spoofing and anti-hacking software. Data protection is also a growing area, and these threats come not only from external hackers but also from within. For example, according to McAfee founder John McAfee, the recent Ashley Madison data breach was caused by a female employee of the site.

Preventing data breaches caused by insiders is also a direction that Silicon Valley companies are working on. The overall authority of Silicon Valley and the dominance of the high-tech industry make it a natural choice for cybersecurity startups. Companies, militaries, and governments are turning to the region for cybersecurity protection from hackers and terrorism. In April of this year, the U.S. Department of Defense announced a partnership with Silicon Valley companies to protect data security. Some companies, such as Cylance, Ionic Security, and Symantec are headquartered in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley startups continue to form, innovate, merge, and transform, and there is no doubt that many companies here see cybersecurity as a huge opportunity.

2 Israel

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Israel's startup boom, serious security threats and high talent flow from military intelligence units have made the country a global cybersecurity superpower. Over the past few years, synergies have been built between startups, multinational tech giants, academia, the military and the government. "Making Israel a leader in security is a government goal and the prime minister is very serious about it. I am very optimistic that Israel will become one of the two major cybersecurity centers in the world," said Nadav Zafrir, founder of team8, an unconventional venture capital firm based in Tel Aviv that invests in innovative cybersecurity companies. There are more than 200 cybersecurity companies in the country, most of which are concentrated in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with an annual cyber output of $3 billion. Leaders include Check Point, CyberArk, Imperva, etc.

3. New York City

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New York City's financial district and corporate wealth have created a huge demand for cybersecurity. Security companies have been established to address these issues. Many companies are dedicated to protecting the stock market and preventing banking and financial fraud. The city has seen a lot of capital flow into the cybersecurity field, but its unique location has increased cybersecurity activity in the area. Top startups include identity verification company Socure, incident solution provider UpLevel, and data breach prevention company Third Party Trust.

4. Boston

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Boston is home to MIT and Harvard. The talent here has created many math geniuses, technology experts and engineers, and it has also become a cybersecurity center. Some of the top companies here include major military contractor Raytheon, secure cryptographic solutions provider SQRL and security analytics startup Rapid7, and these companies continue to raise millions of dollars to set up funds. Many new companies in the area have also been successful. BitSight Technologies announced that it had received $23 million in financing in June, while Barkly received $12.5 million in funding.

5. London

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CyLon, or CyLon London, is Europe's first cybersecurity accelerator. The company is dedicated to helping businesses develop information security technologies and related products while helping London's cybersecurity grow. CyLon's members include CyberLytic, Intruder and Sphere Secure Workspace. Not only that, the UK government has also launched related activities and projects to address cybercrime and increase knowledge and awareness in related fields.