Best Practices for avoiding poor code quality app security risks
Today businesses - both small and large –dream of having an app that can be used for attracting and retaining customers. If you do launch a mobile app, there might be some other goals that you’d want to accomplish with the help of your app as well. However, all of your efforts might be in vain if you do not invest in mobile app security. The security of your app is a major determinant of the success of your business. After all, a data breach can tarnish the reputation of even the most renowned businesses.
Tips for avoiding poor code quality app security risks
The Owasp mobile top 10 is a list of top 10 security risks
that have been curated by experts across the globe. It is a list that acts as a
guide for developers as it outlines the risks that developers should look out
for and protect their apps against those risks. When you are developing your
app, make sure that these security risks are taken into consideration by your
developers and that the right measures are taken for preventing them. One of
the risks mentioned in the list is poor code quality.
Poor code quality is ranked seventh in
the Owasp mobile top 10 risks. This problem usually arises
when the code is being developed by a team and each developer makes use of
different coding practices without documenting the process so that others can
follow it as well. As a result, the final code usually tends to be quite
inconsistent. This issue is rather prevalent, yet it is not detected easily. The
following are some practices that can help in preventing this risk:
Mobile-Specific Code
One of the simplest solutions to avoid
this issue is to rewrite the code within the mobile device rather than trying
to fix problems on the server side. It is important for developers to note that
poor coding at the client side is much different than poor coding at the server
level. An issue with coding will reflect in the web view of the app as well
whereas bad coding from the device will only affect the user.
Static Analysis
It is advisable to make use of
third-party tools for analyzing the app for any buffer overflows or memory
leaks. It is the responsibility of the development team to eradicate any
mismatches that might exist between the length of the target buffer and the
incoming buffer data.
Code Logic
When it comes to the codes, developers
should try to avoid simple logic. These simple logics are hackers’ favorites
both for Android and iOS devices. Adversaries can change a single value within
the code with simple logic and this can help them in circumventing the entire
security apparatus. It is easy to attack such codes at runtime levels. This
leakage can be prevented by stopping untrusted sessions from gaining access to
privileges at the device level.
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