5 Best Practices for Staying Ahead of Android Security Threats

With millions of people relying on Android applications for everything from banking to communication, mobile app security has never been more important. It’s quickly becoming a competitive differentiator, as well. According to a recent study, Assessing Mobile App Security, 95% of developers believe that prioritizing mobile app security acts as a unique selling point for their mobile applications and their business overall.

For leading organizations, mobile app security should be thought of as a shared responsibility among developers, security teams, app publishers, device manufacturers and their associated operating systems, consumers, and app protection providers. Developers play a vital role in this shared responsibility model. They are the architects and builders of the apps that people use daily. As a result, it is important they understand the threat model for their application or services, along with the specific risks and potential for fraud that can impact their app users.

Mitigating those risks includes implementing the right security controls, alongside ongoing threat monitoring and regular testing throughout the app development lifecycle. Let’s explore five essential practices that organizations can adopt to maintain a strong Android security posture.

Following secure coding best practices

The first step in creating a secure app is writing secure code. This might sound straightforward, but it involves several detailed practices. When we talk about secure coding, we mean writing code that minimizes the risk of vulnerabilities—weak spots that hackers can exploit.

One major threat to mobile apps is reverse-engineering. This is when someone takes an app apart to understand how it works and potentially exploit it based on this knowledge. Layering a variety of secure coding techniques can make code even more difficult for attackers to decompile and analyze.

To protect mobile apps from reverse engineering, developers should use code obfuscation—a technique that makes the code harder to read and understand, making it difficult for malicious actors to figure out how the app works or extract sensitive data. Obfuscation techniques include name obfuscation, control flow obfuscation, and arithmetic obfuscation. Combining code obfuscation with another code hardening technique, encryption, further protects data by converting it into code that only authorized parties can decipher. This ensures that even if data is intercepted, it remains unreadable to unauthorized users. Essential encryption techniques include string encryption, class encryption, and resource encryption.

When it comes to other secure coding best practices, validating user input is another important step. This means checking all data that users enter into the app to ensure it is safe and expected. For instance, if a form asks for a phone number, the app should check to make sure the input looks like a valid phone number and not something malicious. In addition, developers should avoid hardcoding credentials—that is, embedding sensitive information like passwords directly into the code. Instead, they should use secure methods to manage this data, such as environment variables or secure storage solutions.

Regularly testing & auditing mobile applications

Mobile apps have unique risks and no matter how carefully code is written, vulnerabilities can still slip through the cracks. With the growing sophistication of attackers, regular testing and auditing of mobile applications is important. These processes involve systematically checking the app for security weaknesses. Testing and auditing can involve:

• Manual code reviews, which require developers to go through the code line by line to spot any potential issues. This can be time-consuming, but is very thorough.
• Mobile app security testing (MAST), which uses specialized tools to conduct static analysis, dynamic analysis at runtime, or interactive testing that instruments an application while it’s running to detect security risks and vulnerabilities.

With development teams being constantly overcommitted and under-resourced, integrating security testing into the development lifecycle doesn’t have to add additional workload. Rather, it can fit within the developer’s existing workflow. Instead of waiting to test at the end, developers can continuously test the app throughout its lifecycle of updates and improvements. This helps catch issues early when they are easier, faster and cheaper to fix.

Another helpful resource developers and security teams should consider leveraging is the OWASP Mobile Top 10 and the OWASP mobile security testing guide.

Keeping up with security updates & real-time threats

The threat landscape is constantly evolving. New threats emerge regularly, and staying ahead of malicious actors is crucial. This means keeping up with the latest security updates and being prepared to identify threats in real-time.

Another important step for developers to take is to regularly update all third-party libraries and dependencies their apps use. These components can have their own vulnerabilities, and updates often include important security patches. Monitoring and applying Android platform security updates is also vital. When updates are released, they often address vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers if not patched.

Educating users about the importance of keeping their apps updated is another important part of the shared responsibility model. Many users don’t realize that updates often contain crucial security fixes. Organizations can help by making update notifications clear and explaining why they are important.

For real-time threat monitoring, developers can use tools that continuously monitor the app for suspicious activity. These tools can help development teams gain intelligence into their apps’ biggest security gaps, and discover how to take the appropriate action. By applying additional Runtime application self-protection (RASP) checks, if a threat is detected, a threat monitoring tool can take immediate action, such as shutting down the app or alerting the user.

Leveraging security tools & libraries

Developers don’t have to tackle security challenges alone. There are many tools that can help enhance the security of Android applications.

According to the Assessing Mobile App Security report cited above, using third-party security tools is essential for maintaining a secure development workflow. With the volume and pace of mobile app releases, it is important organizations balance security with speed. Leveraging third-party tools and best practices can address the risks associated with unprotected mobile apps such as loss of IP, revenue, brand trust, and more.

Nearly all (98%) organizations reported purchasing or considering purchasing additional protection solutions to augment limitations with time and talent. To be most effective, these tools should integrate seamlessly into the developer’s workflow, enhancing security without causing disruptions.

Staying security aware

A knowledgeable and security-aware development team is critical for creating and maintaining secure mobile applications. Developers should have ongoing access to training and resources that help them stay updated on the latest security threats and best practices.

Regular training sessions and workshops can keep the team informed about new vulnerabilities and how to address them. Providing access to resources like online courses, webinars, and security resources (such as those available through OWASP) can also be beneficial.

Promoting a security-first culture within the development team means making security a priority at every stage of the development process. This involves encouraging developers to think about security from the very beginning and throughout a project, rather than as an afterthought.

The developer’s central role in Android security

As we’ve seen, developers play a crucial role in ensuring Android security. By following secure coding practices, regularly testing and auditing applications, staying updated with the latest security patches, leveraging security tools, and educating their teams, developers can significantly reduce security risks. In addition, security and business professionals play a crucial role in supporting developers by providing clear guidelines, resources, and tools for implementing impactful mobile app protection. By fostering collaboration and ensuring continuous security assessments, they can help developers stay ahead of emerging threats and maintain strong, secure mobile apps.

Prioritizing security in the development process is essential to protect the app and the business alike. Developers and security professionals who take these steps demonstrate a commitment to protecting their company’s data, intellectual property, and reputation.

How can you incorporate the best Android protection for your mobile app? Connect with our experts now.