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Why is a security audit of mobile apps necessary?


(Alt text: Why is a security audit of mobile apps necessary?)


Table of contents

  • Introduction

  • Security audit of mobile apps

  • Do your company’s products need a third-party security audit?

  • Bugsmirror’s research-based security services

Introduction

Mobile devices have improved business prospects & customer service. Today, most product-based and service-based companies interact with their customers & clients via mobile devices or smartphones. Some businesses rely entirely on mobile devices to connect with customers & clients.

But with the increase in use of mobile devices, attacks to exploit security bugs or vulnerabilities in mobile applications and operating systems are also on the rise. Security vulnerabilities can leak sensitive customer or client data, damage your business reputation, and reduce customers’ or clients’ trust in your company. It may also result in regulatory penalties and financial losses for your company. Hence, it has become essential to conduct security audits of mobile apps to detect & fix security vulnerabilities.

Security audit of mobile apps

A security audit systematically evaluates your company’s mobile app to identify security vulnerabilities. It is done to find vulnerabilities before attackers do and quickly resolve them.

In a security audit, the auditor tests how the app stores & transmits data and protects it from unauthorized access, using an audit checklist based on industry best practices, externally established standards, federal regulations, and auditing company’s standards. The auditor also detects probable expose vectors, i.e., methods that attackers can use to gain unauthorized access to the app to exploit security vulnerabilities.

A security audit of your company’s products will:

  • improve the security & integrity of products

  • reduce customer/client data leakage

  • increase customers’/clients’ trust in your company and

  • ensure your company follows the regulatory guidelines for security of products

Security audits can be done before and after an app’s launch.

When the security audit is done before the launch of an app, the auditor will analyze code & configuration issues in the app. Such audits will:

- check if the app’s security controls are working as expected

- discover situations that can turn into security vulnerabilities

- give flexibility to development teams to easily modify the code and make the app more secure

  • When the security audit is done after an app is launched, the auditor will analyze how the app runs on various operating systems like Android OS and iOS.

Every business that deals with sensitive and confidential data requires a security audit of their company’s products. Businesses can choose to perform internal security audits on their own or go for an external audit, i.e., a third-party security audit, and hire security services companies to perform the security audit. While an internal audit is cost-effective, an external audit is better as it involves people outside the company who use a different approach to research, review, and analyze the apps.




(Image caption: Benefits of a security audit)

(Alt text: Benefits of a security audit)

Do your company’s products need a third-party security audit?

According to various reports, security aspects are neglected 52% of the time during app development. Still, companies are hesitant to hire a security services company for security audits of their products. The hesitancy is due to:

  • lack of understanding about the seriousness of security vulnerabilities

  • confidence in the security measures deployed during product development

  • extra costs for the companies

Companies need to invest in the security of their apps to keep sensitive data such as a customer’s personal information safe. Suppose your company provides products & services that customers/clients access over the internet through mobile devices. In that case, a third-party audit of your apps is beneficial for your business and will help to:

  • achieve long-term profits and

  • build a strong brand image for your business

Companies in sectors such as Fintech, healthcare, etc., require security audits of their apps. Tech giants such as Google & Apple must also get Android OS and iOS checked for security vulnerabilities.

Bugsmirror’s research-based security services

Bugsmirror is a premier research-based security services company that provides complete security audit services for Android OS, APKs, SDKs, Flutter applications etc. The company works with MNCs and Startups across diverse sectors such as IT, Fintech, automobiles and healthcare to fix vulnerabilities and improve security of their products.

Bugsmirror performs security audits as per publically available guidelines and standards. Along with that, the company has developed its own standards, best practices, and unique algorithms & tools based on its extensive research. This enables Bugsmirror to find security vulnerabilities at a rapid rate and sets it apart from other security services companies. Bugsmirror has also found new bug types that other security services companies couldn’t find using traditional audit methods.


(Image caption: Bugsmirror’s research-based security services)

(Alt text: Bugsmirror’s research-based security services)


For each security audit, Bugsmirror generates a well-documented audit report with details about:

  • Complete security audit process and testing methodologies

  • Expose vectors that let attackers gain unauthorized access to exploit security vulnerabilities

  • List of all vulnerabilities found in the audit with details of their bug types and initial severity levels

  • The risk & business impact of the vulnerabilities and the importance of their resolution

  • Example codes to understand how to fix the vulnerabilities

  • Recommendations to avoid security vulnerabilities

In addition to security audits, the company also provides other premium services, such as:

1. Proof-of-Concept (PoC) for exploitation and steps of reproduction for security vulnerabilities

2. Proper Android & Flutter guidelines to improve security of your company’s products

3. Implementation of advanced security concepts such as TEE, Strong box and RASP to develop bug-free apps

Bugsmirror can perform one-time and periodic security audits for your company’s products. Bugsmirror recommends that companies get security audits done at least once every quarter or before releasing a new version of their application.

Want to secure your products using the best security practices? Connect with Bugsmirror’s team of security researchers immediately!


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