OWASP – a full-fledged way to counter the risks for mobile application developers

3 min


With the increase in usage and acceptability of mobile applications across the globe, consumer convenience has been significantly increased. The OWASP top 10 mobile is a great way that will help in highlighting the flaws in securities so that developers can protect the applications from them very easily.

 A lot of mobile applications look secure but actually, they are not. According to a survey, 82% of applications which are engaged in online retail have been found guilty of leaking the consumer data. Approximately 67% of the applications which are involved in travelling bookings also leak the sensitive data of consumers. OWASP is a community of application developers that helps in creating different kinds of tools, documentation, methodologies that will help in the development and successful implementation of mobile application security. It can help in creating awareness about different kinds of emerging threats. The latest update in this list was made in the year 2016.

 This list has been categorized into the following from M1 to M10.

 – The M1 deals with improper usage of platforms. The occurrence of this concept is highly common and can cause severe impacts on the applications which are affected. There are different types of risks which are associated with this concept. Data leakage is the most common risk. Other risks include the android sniffing, keychain risk, touch ID risk for the iOS applications and many more. Different kinds of practices should be followed so that encrypted keys are kept in a single device there is no risk to that particular device. Different permissions should be taken from the users so that proper security measures can be implemented.

 -The M2 deals with the insecure storage of data. Different types of risks are associated with this concept. There can be compromises with the personal information of the user and the app sensitive information can be available with the hackers. The exploitation of the unsecured data can also take place which can be because of the ignorance of developers. The best practices to prevent all such things include proper development based frameworks. The application developers should understand how the API deals with the different information assets so that the best and informed decision is made. Different tools are to be used so that exploitation in all such cases can be minimized.

 -The M3 deals with highly insecure communication. The data transmission is a very important concept that takes place in mobile devices. Some of the insecure risks associated with communication can be stealing the most important information and the attacks in the middle. Different compromises with the admin account can also take place which can prove to be highly dangerous for the device. Proper practices should be undertaken and the application users must be informed after adequate intervals of time.

 -The M4 deals with authentication which is insecure. In all such cases, the risks associated range from factors associated with inputs and insecure credentials of users. Some of the best practices to control such issues can include using online authentication methods so that the security of applications is enhanced.

 -The M5 deals with cryptography which is insufficient in operations. The risk associated can be stealing of the application and user data so that access to the encrypted files can be gained. Different practices can be used to avoid these cases, for example, choosing modern encryption algorithms. Different cryptography standards are established on which the developers must keep an eye.

 -The M6 deals with insecure authorization. Under this concept, the risks include the unregulated access to the endpoints of advance and the IDOR access. To overcome this concept different types of practices are to be undertaken for example continuously testing the privileges of users. The authorization schemes must be kept in mind by the developers and an authorization check must be performed for roles and permissions of the authorized users. 

 – The M7 deals with the highly poor quality of codes. In all such cases, the risks may involve compromise with mobiles because of safe web codes and interferences with the third-party libraries. Client input insecurity is another important concept which has to be undertaken here. Different practices should be adopted by developers to improve the quality of code. Static analysis and code logic are considered the best options which must be undertaken and implemented by the developers.

 -The M8 deals with the tempering of code. In all such cases, the infusion of malware and theft of data can be there which can cause several issues to be mobile devices. To avoid all such practices runtime detection and data Erasure should be opted to enhance the security of applications.

 -The M9 deals with reverse engineering. In this point, there can be a dynamic type of inspection at runtime and stealing of different codes. Some of the premium features may include an authentication process and taking undue advantages of the existing systems. To avoid these concept different practices like using similar tools, using C languages and obfuscation of codes should be undertaken. This will help in providing the best quality experience to the consumers with a high-level is of advanced to safety.

 -BM 10 deals with the functionality of extraneous. Before the implementation of the application of different kinds of testing, details have to be confirmed. Under this concept, the intended user has to undertake different things. The risks associated with this can include gaining access related to information with the database, user details and other functionalities. To overcome these kinds of risks practices like testing codes should be performed. The developer should also undertake that system logs are not exposed to any other application and logs do not contain any kind of description of server processes. Proguard and Dexguard should be used so that interaction is stopped.

 This is a great concept to increase the security levels of the applications without any kind of professional coding involved. It will allow the business to analyze different threats and undertake different times so that applications can be developed in real-time and user experience can be enhanced.

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