The Risks of Reverse Engineering & How to Prevent them

 


In the past few years, a massive number of apps have been developed every single year. Moreover, the number of mobile phone users has also increased exponentially. From grocery shopping to booking a cab - there is an app for everything. And the convenience that apps offer attracts users around the world. However, with the rise in the number of apps and downloads, there has also been an increase in the number of mobile app security risks. 

 

These risks are harmful to users as well as businesses. And hence, it is of utmost importance for developers to acquaint themselves with these risks, so that they can be prevented. One way of becoming aware of these risks is by learning more about the OWASP mobile top 10 security risks. It is a list of app security risks that have been curated by experts around the globe. It is a free guide created for developers so that they integrate countermeasures into their apps during the developmental stage itself.

 

The Risks of Reverse Engineering and tips to prevent them 

 

Reverse Engineering of code is one of the most common ways of exploiting app security. Hackers make use of easily available, external binary inspection tools to analyze the app’s original code and the way it links with the server. The reverse engineering app security risks are as follows: 

Dynamic Inspection 

Certain languages tend to be much more susceptible to reverse engineering, given that they allow for dynamic inspection during runtime. Thus, reverse engineering can affect the security of the servers as well as the data that might be stored on mobile devices. It also impacts the server’s ability to detect rooted devices. 

Code Theft 

Reverse engineering allows even competitors to view the app’s functionality entirely and even copy some of these features. This helps them in reducing the cost of developing any new code. 

Premium Features 

This technique is used by adversaries to bypass the authentication process and gain access to the premium features. Thus, the cost of developing new code is reduced stealthily. 

 

Practices that will help you in avoiding reverse engineering are as follows: 

Code Obfuscation 

The process of code obfuscation should target specific segments of the source code as well as the string tables and methods. However, this should be done while ensuring that the code performance is not compromised. The developer must also ensure that the level of the obfuscation they employ is not easily reversed with the help of deobfuscation tools. 

Utilize Similar Tools 

This might sound antithetical but the best way of securing your app against the risks of reverse engineering is to make use of the same tools that hackers make use of. Given that these tools can easily analyze the control flow part, cryptographic constants, interactions with servers, etc., that the code can be compromised. 

 

Conclusion 

Apart from the aforementioned tips, you can also make use of C and C++ languages for avoiding reverse engineering. Alternatively, making use of Java Native Interface can also be helpful. Making use of these safety measures will help you in ensuring that your app is truly secure. 

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