Over the past years, technology has changed just about every aspect of modern life as it has been seamlessly integrated into everything we do. One of the most evident examples of this is how businesses and brands today have developed mobile apps so that they can stay connected with their target audience.
Although this has brought about significant benefits for both the businesses and the consumers, it’s not without its drawbacks. While technology has made everything infinitely more convenient, it has also made everyone more vulnerable to a new type of threat: cyberattacks. Indeed, cyber-attacks continue to plague the world and it becomes more apparent when you realise that businesses are one of their most common targets.
Cyber threat research dictates that small and medium enterprises are most at risk when it comes to cyber-attacks. Before you go and underestimate these attacks, take note that over 60% of small and medium enterprises will fail within six months after a catastrophic cyber-attack.
Luckily, there is a way to prevent this. Cybercriminals often abuse common vulnerabilities so that they can attack your app and cause damage to your business. This is why we’ve put together a list of common mobile app security mistakes that put you at risk. Hopefully, this article proves to be useful when it comes to preventing cyber-attacks on your business.
1. Storing Critical Information on the Phone
One common mistake that developers make is they store sensitive information on the phone itself––everything from passwords to customer information. This means that if the phone is stolen or compromised, all that information will most likely be stolen as well.
Instead of doing this, make sure that all information should only be retrieved from the server the moment the user logs into the app. To add to this, you also have to make sure that that same information is wiped when they log out. While this may seem like a crude way of doing things, this actually puts you in the best spot to protect business and your users!
2. Using Weak Encryption
Encryption is the key when it comes to cyber-attack prevention. Keep in mind that customers freely send information from the app to your business’ server, and failing to encrypt this information puts the user at risk of a man-in-the-middle hack. Think of it as eavesdropping, but in digital form.
One way to prevent this from happening is by making sure that your app uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption between the user’s phone and your servers. If you want to be even safer, have your developers test to see if it will stop working in the case an unauthorised third party tries to intercept the information.
3. Having Insufficient Protection for the Server
Speaking of communicating with the server, you also have to make sure that your servers are secure and protected from data breaches. A common problem is that developers usually allow servers to share a lot of data and processes with the rest of the world. This puts your server at risk of a cyber-attack.
Your developers should minimise all vulnerabilities by limiting what gets to interact with your server. In the case that outside communication is necessary, they should be able to properly secure these to prevent data breaches from occurring!
Technology can be a useful tool when it comes to growing your business. However, you shouldn’t be careless with how you use it as you are responsible for your customer’s data. We hope the information shared above proves to be useful when it comes to helping you protect your business and your customers from potential cyber threats!
FraudWatch International specialises in brand protection. We serve businesses, entities, and organisations of all sizes from all over the world by providing them with protection from all online threats. Get in touch with us today to learn more about the strategies that we employ for cyber-attack prevention!