Approov Blog

Mobile App Security (3)

Safeguarding Security and Integrity: In today's digital landscape, mobile applications have become integral to our daily lives, offering convenience, entertainment, and essential services. However, with the rise of mobile app usage, there's also been a surge in unauthorized and malicious apps (aka Dummy Apps, Cloned Apps, Tampered Apps) that pose significant threats to users, organizations, and developers alike. In this blog post, we'll explore why it's imperative for developers to prevent the running of non-authorized apps from accessing your API’s and how cutting-edge solutions like Approov Mobile Security can help safeguard security and integrity. Read Full Story

This is a Guest Blog written by the CyLab-Africa team : Theoneste Byagutangaza, Lena Chacha, Trevor Henry Chiboora, Joel Jefferson Musiime and George McGregor from Approov. This week, we published a new report: “The Security Challenges of Financial Mobile Apps in Africa”. This is based on research carried out by a research team from CyLab-Africa, sponsored by Approov. The research reveals an alarming Fintech exposure in Africa – 95% of the apps investigated leak secrets! The full report is published on the Approov website here and is essential reading for any mobile app developers who are planning worldwide deployment. Read Full Story

Introduction Data breaches have become a persistent threat for organizations across the globe, with cybercriminals relentlessly targeting valuable data, sensitive customer information, and proprietary business data. The data below is alarming, but the key takeaway is through prevention, monitoring, and rapid remediation, costs can be eliminated or highly mitigated. Read Full Story

Mobile apps and APIs are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals using sophisticated techniques to exploit vulnerabilities and gain access to sensitive data. To stay ahead of these threats, real-time analytics on the security state of mobile apps and devices is critical. Read Full Story

In a previous article, we saw how to use code obfuscation to make it more difficult for an attacker to extract a secret through static binary analysis of the ChatGPT demo mobile app. However, it's important to note that code obfuscation is not always as effective in protecting secrets as we might hope. It can give a false sense of security, similar to the Maginot Line that the French built during World War II to deter the German invasion of France. As many know, the German military simply went around the Maginot Line and quickly invaded France, rendering it useless. This event is now often used as an analogy for situations where something provides a false sense of security rather than actual security. Read Full Story

Mobile app security is a crucial aspect that needs to be prioritised by developers and businesses alike. With the increasing number of cyber-attacks targeting mobile apps and their APIs, it's more important than ever to take measures to protect the secrets used by mobile apps to access their APIs to protect users' sensitive data and prevent unauthorised access to it and subsequent data breach. Read Full Story

"Bank-grade security" is a term often used to describe a high level of security measures implemented in mobile applications to protect sensitive data, transactions, and user privacy. It implies that the app's security measures are at par with or comparable to the security standards employed by financial institutions, such as banks, which are known for their rigorous security practices. In this post, we will examine what is meant by this term and whether or not you should be comforted by it. Read Full Story

E-scooters are becoming an increasingly popular mode of transportation in cities around the world, offering a convenient and eco-friendly alternative to traditional forms of transport. However, as their popularity grows, so does the risk of vandalism and fraud, which can lead to significant financial losses for companies that operate e-scooter sharing programs. Read Full Story

In today's digital landscape, securing mobile apps and APIs is of paramount importance. Among the various security solutions available, Approov stands out as truly unique. What sets Approov apart is its combination of Mobile App Security and Mobile API Security, within a single product. With this innovative approach, Approov enables the lockdown of the Mobile API solely to clean mobile devices running authentic instances of the mobile app that have passed the Approov remote mobile app attestation process. This continuous verification process ensures the device and mobile app integrity, without any impact on user experience. Read Full Story

Mobile app usage has grown significantly in recent years, and with this growth comes an increased need for mobile app security. Unfortunately, many mobile app developers hold misconceptions and myths about mobile app security, which can lead to a false sense of security that can result in security breaches and compromises of sensitive information. We will cover a range of myths including the belief that mobile app stores guarantee secure apps, that Android mobile apps are more insecure, that iOS is more secure, and that using HTTPS to call the API backend is enough to ensure security. Additionally, we will explore the myth that only popular and public-facing apps require security measures and the belief that only root or jail-broken devices are a concern in terms of mobile app security. Read Full Story