A Look Back at Mobile App Security Tips and Insights from 2022

Through the end of 2022, we saw mobile app vulnerabilities continue to pop up in unexpected places, a trend we expect will continue throughout 2023. Take the three vehicle remote start mobile apps, for example, which were found to have a bug that allowed malicious actors to take over remote start and unlock functionality. In some cases, they could even access the driver’s name, phone number, address, and more.

Despite increasingly stringent compliance requirements and significant risk, the mobile app industry continues to ramp up, with a projected volume of $614.40 billion by 2026. This lucrative, constantly evolving industry holds great potential for mobile app providers and the threat actors looking to exploit them.

For this reason, holistic mobile app security should continue to be a priority for developers in the coming year. To get started, we’ve rounded up our most popular blogs from 2022, covering everything from the phases of a mobile attack to vetting protection solutions.

Guardsquare’s top blogs from 2022

The Four Phases of a Mobile Application Attack

After an attack, developers often focus on the moment the hack took place rather than zooming out and looking at each step the threat actor took to get there. By understanding all four stages of a common man-at-the-end attack, developers can make informed decisions as they work toward a more holistic security strategy.

Compiler-Based Mobile App Security vs. App Shielding and No-Code Mobile App Security

Selecting a mobile app protection tool is a big decision. Before signing on the dotted line, it’s important to understand the difference between application shielding and no-code solutions vs. compiler-based solutions, as well as the benefits, challenges, and use cases of each.

Resetting the Clock: Why it Matters for Mobile AppSec

“Resetting the clock,” also known as polymorphism, is critical to an effective mobile app security strategy. This approach refreshes or changes security measures with every release, forcing threat actors to begin from scratch each time.

How Red vs. Blue Team Exercises Bolster Mobile App Security

Red vs. Blue team exercises have long been popular in the cybersecurity world, but they’ve also crossed over into mobile app security. While one team tries to hack its own mobile app, the other works to defend it. As a result, the organization gains a stronger understanding of its mobile app’s security posture and what vulnerabilities it may need to address.

The Current State & Future of Reversing Flutter™ Apps

This blog is the first in a three-part series that explores Flutter code in the context of mobile app security. In this installment, we dig into whether Flutter apps are actually more resilient to reverse engineering (Hint: They’re not), demonstrating how easily the reverse engineering process can begin with only a few lines of Dart code.

Next Steps

Deciding to prioritize mobile app security is the easy part. Selecting and implementing the protection mechanisms that fit your threat model(s) is much more complex. Consider whether or not you have the resources in-house to build your protection solution or if buying might be a more strategic move.

If you do decide to work with a third-party provider for your protection and monitoring needs, keep these three considerations in mind while evaluating solutions.