Mobile applications have become a popular way for businesses to provide services. In the Philippines alone, the Smartphone Penetration Rate has reached almost 95% based on the study conducted by PSRC and the National Privacy Commission as of the last quarter of 2021. With the proliferation of smart devices, mobile applications are becoming increasingly popular. Tied with the increasing popularity are the mobile application security threats that have become more sophisticated and complex. In this blog article, we will look at the latest trends in mobile application security, the prevailing threats, and how Verimatrix Code Shielding and App Shielding can secure mobile applications in minutes.

Mobile Application Trends

The mobile application industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years. As the market expands, businesses develop mobile applications to stay competitive and reach customers. Mobile application is now a business essential in attracting and retaining customers. It is also an avenue for providing services such as banking, shopping, and entertainment.

One of the biggest trends in mobile application development is mobile-first technology. It will be used first on mobile devices before others, such as desktops and laptops. With that approach, firms create mobile applications optimized for the smaller screens of mobile devices. As a result, the applications are more tailored to the user experience of mobile devices.

Another trend in mobile application development is the use of cloud-based services. These services allow businesses to store data in the cloud and gain more flexible accessibility. Cloud-based services can help organizations to manage their mobile applications easier.

Companies are looking into mobile application security to protect their applications. Mobile application security is crucial for businesses to secure customer data and keep it from malicious actors.

Mobile Application Prevailing Threats

Despite the advances in mobile application security, there are threats that businesses need to be aware of. Mobile application security threats can come in the form of malware, phishing, and other malicious activities. Malware is malicious software that aims to gain access to sensitive information or to take control of a device. It is usually delivered through a 3rd party app or links that may contain ads and directs the user to download a payload. Phishing attacks aim to trick users into providing personal or sensitive information. Another threat is the reverse engineering of applications. More often, this is tied to a phishing campaign so that victims who download the reverse-engineered application will fall either a fraud victims or a puppet to increase the number of victims.

These threats can be particularly damaging to businesses and lead to financial losses. Malware mainly wants to access sensitive information, such as financial or customer data. Phishing attacks aim to steal passwords or other sensitive information.

In addition to these threats, businesses need to be aware of the potential risks of using third-party libraries and frameworks. In parallel to its use of adding features to a mobile application, it can also introduce security flaws.

Verimatrix Solutions Overview

The two leading solutions for mobile application security are Verimatrix Code Shielding and App Shielding. Code Shielding is a software-based solution that helps protect mobile applications from malicious actors. This solution helps to detect and prevent malicious attacks such as reverse engineering and malware injection. It also helps to prevent account takeover when a 3rd party app gets hooked alongside the mobile app used – this often happens on rooted devices. In addition, it can monitor and respond to threats quickly and efficiently. The solution prevents the app from running on rooted or jailbroken devices.

On the other hand, Verimatrix App Shielding is a cloud-based solution that also protects mobile applications. Its function is similar to the on-premise version called Code Shielding.

Both of these solutions help businesses protect their applications from attackers that may exploit vulnerabilities in the compiled application through their anti-tamper technology that prevents applications from running when it has been tampered with via reverse engineering. The other function that it adds is to obfuscate the code and make it very hard for the attacker to analyze the logic in the code itself.

How Verimatrix Secure Applications in Minutes

Verimatrix Code Shielding and App Shielding protect businesses from malicious actors and their threats via a process similar to a wrapping concept. After compiling the application, the solution will wrap it up with protection. There are no code changes required during the process. This approach can prevent any disruption in the development of the application. As a result, the app is already protected even before publishing on application repositories such as Google Play or App Store.