Business actions are now
not only passed out in a cabin or the office. You have now options to reply to
your email sitting in a coffee house while watching a movie or even when you
are chilling out on your vacations. It can be possible only with the advent of
mobile apps. But the saddest part is that along with the convenience of a
mobile app there is a threat of your information getting targeted by hackers.
Cybercrime includes costs that include damages due to loss of sensitive data,
fraud and interruption in business operations.
Apps Targeted by Hackers
So it is important to know
which kinds of apps are the target points of hackers. Apps that are mostly
targeted are the ones that have delicate information and which can be used
against other businesses. Apps that have a chance to get hacked are the ones
that deal with economic transactions – eCommerce applications that are
connected to banking software.
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Along with enterprise and eCommerce apps – chatting apps are
also vulnerable to hacking. Some of the most sensitive information is shared on
chats – for example, the CEO of a company carrying out a huge assignment or
carrying cash for the transaction giving details of his whereabouts to his
family or colleagues. If the hackers know his location and his whereabouts at a
particular time, they could easily dupe and steal the information that they
require.
So, how do you secure chat apps? Let’s find out.
Ensuring the Security of Messaging Apps
Messaging apps have two broad categories – enterprising
messaging apps and consumer-based messaging apps. Security risks for these apps
include a secured integration with a payment statement, proper usage of a
platform and ensuring legal regulations for healthcare or banking.
Now, let’s take a look at a few common ways of ensuring secured
messaging apps.
Security of Data Storage and Data Transfer
Logically, the fewer the data stored on the client’s side, the
more secure the app. But there are instances where the app user would want to
save their data. In that case, there are technical solutions that would keep
that data secure. This can be done by use Realm Core. It uses OpenSSL when one
supplies a 4-bit encryption key. Realm Core can be transparently encrypted and
decrypted with AES-256 and can be verified with SHA-2 HMAC hash.
For iOS two frameworks can be adopted – Realm iOS and CoreData
for data protection. CoreData’s most popular local storage type is SQLite – it is an open-source third-party library
that provides 256-bit AES encryption. It is important to know that AES takes up
a little bit of extra storage space, thereby decreasing the speed of the app.
Secure Communication
Between the Client and the Server
All communication done
between the client and the server must be secure. Apps need to adhere to the
standards set by the industry and regulatory requirements depending on the
state and the industry.
For instance, a healthcare
app needs to adhere to medical industry standards and should be compliant with
HIPAA. The healthcare software application following HIPAA standards might have
a few limitations that need to be addressed – such as disclosing certain
medical information.
As we know all the
information shared between a client and the server runs a risk of a breach. The
app developers need to make sure that they are properly set up with TLS/SSL.
The app needs to have a trusted CA certificate with configured chains and
attach or pin those to SSL.
End-to-End Encryption and
Reinforcing Encryption
Encrypting the data would
mean that even if it is hacked, the hacker will not be able to read it.
Encryption of data is done by using special algorithms to scramble data. All
messaging apps have some form of encryption data. One of the biggest reasons
why messaging apps make themselves vulnerable to hackers is that they use some
information to target users with advertisements.
The most secure apps with
chat functionality use end-to-end encryption that lets only the sender and the
receiver read a message. If the company does make an app with end-to-end encryption,
they can archive the data and store all the messages on the server. These
messages can be decrypted and read if necessary.
To increase security, app
developers can reinforce existing encryption mechanisms. What is reinforcing
encryption? – It requires applying cryptographic standards by getting
acquainted with cybersecurity guidelines.
Bottom Line
To conclude, some typical
features that need to be used for a secure mobile chat:
A unique key should be
generated for each session. This is called Session Level Security or SLS. By
adopting SLS, all messages exchanged within the app can be only read by the
sender and the recipient.
Every message sent has its
key.
The data stored by the user
is encrypted by a separate key which is derived by the PIN entered by the user.
Offline messaging support
should be supported by the app. This means that if the user is on offline mode,
the messages are stored at the back-end. On switching on their network, the
messages are delivered to the recipient.
Enhancing security for
apps is very important in today’s day and age. Privacy is an important aspect
and the users need apps that do not disclose their personal information. Users
are drifting towards apps that store very little personal information and use
it sparingly for advertisements or their benefits.
App-Scoop app developers
can help you build an app that has end-to-end encryption for maximum security
of data and develop a secure chat for your mobile app.
Author’s Bio: I'm currently working as
an Android App Developer with TheAppsmiths. I have a great passion for building
world-class products as I love technology. In the last couple of years, I have
worked with big and small clients across numerous continents. I have learned
new technologies as well as mentoring and helping others to get started in
their programming career. I have a keen interest in mobile App development, mobile app
development outsourcing, IPAD Development, Game development, etc.
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