There is no doubt that websites and apps are used by almost every business. From banking, shopping, healthcare, and entertainment, every business has a website, an app, or both. Not only that, but these web & apps also play an important role in driving revenues for businesses. Not to forget, some businesses operate entirely online and have no physical store.
All of this is enough to tell how important a company’s website and app are for them. Sadly, among all of that, these have also become a prime target for cyber attacks, with scammers eyeing every top website to hack them and ask for ransom. Because in most cases, a single mistake from your end can result in a heavy loss for your business.
That’s why in this article, we’ll share some important and essential security practices for web and mobile apps, so you can keep your platform safe from such attacks.
Table of Contents
- Why Security in Apps Matters
- Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL)
- Authentication & Authorization Best Practices
- Data Protection & Encryption
- Secure APIs & Backend Communication
- Input Validation & Preventing Common Attacks
- Secure Session Management
- Regular Updates & Patch Management
- App Store & Deployment Security (Mobile-Specific)
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Why Security in Apps Matters
Cybercrime is rising at an alarming rate, and no company is safe from it. While hackers target almost every business, but their prime suspect is growing businesses, because most of the time, with limited resources, they don’t place much value on it, which makes their business website and app prone to such cyber attacks.
Such attacks not only hurt your business but also customers, who expect their data to be safe. And once your site gets exploited, your customers’ data also gets compromised, which in turn can make your customers lose trust in your business. That’s why following the best practices to save your app from such attacks is more important than ever.
Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL)
The Secure Development Lifecycle is the most modern technique for protecting your website and app from such attacks. This approach involves maintaining security at every stage of app creation, including planning, coding, testing, and development. In short, address potential dangers of getting hacked during the design and code process, rather than waiting for the testing and further production.
Fixing these issues earlier in the design phase is not only cheaper but also faster than addressing them after launching your app. However, for this practice, you need a developer who understands the complexities and secure code practices.
Authentication & Authorization Best Practices
Every app handles data, and protecting that should be its top priority. This is where encryption can be helpful. Always make sure that the data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.
For web apps, that means using HTTPS with TLS certificates. For mobile apps, techniques like certificate pinning can provide an additional layer of protection against cyberattacks. And keep this in mind that sensitive information like API tokens, keys, and users’ personal data should never be stored in a file, which makes it prone to being attacked. Always use secure storage mechanisms and rotate keys on a regular basis. With encryption, you make your platform even more secure from third-party malware attacks.
Secure APIs & Backend Communication
APIs connect your web and mobile apps to their backends, and they’re also every attacker’s dream target. Having a weak and exposed API can give attackers direct access to sensitive information that can single-handedly destroy your company’s reputation and make people never trust you again.
That’s why it’s important to use secure authentication methods like OAuth and JWT (JSON Web Tokens). With these methods, you make sure that only authorized clients can communicate with your API. At the same time, it is also recommended to add rate limiting, which can prevent abuse, and always validate input data to block injection attacks. By securing your API data, you make sure the app is much less prone to attacks.
Input Validation & Preventing Common Attacks
User input is the easiest way for hackers to attack your site. That’s why failing to validate input can lead hackers to get access to the confidential data of your app.
For example, SQL injection, where attackers manipulate queries to access your database, or cross-site scripting (XSS), where malicious code will be added to your site. Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is another threat that can trick users into doing unwanted tasks.
These are just a few of the most common ways attackers can gain access to your site. That’s why it is always recommended to use frameworks and libraries with built-in protections rather than writing your own from scratch.
Secure Session Management
Sessions enable users to stay logged in, but poor code management can leave the door open for hackers to manipulate. That’s why it’s important to set clear timeouts, especially for sensitive apps like banking and healthcare. Always add a feature for users to re-authenticate before allowing them to make a high-risk action, like transferring a huge amount or changing their password.
For web apps, secure cookie handling is important. Mark cookies as HttpOnly (so they can’t be accessed by scripts) and Secure (so they’re only sent over HTTPS). In mobile apps, ensure that tokens expire after a set period and are refreshed securely. Never store tokens in unprotected local storage.
Regular Updates & Patch Management
One of the simplest and underrated practice to save your app from attack is constantly updating. Outdated libraries, frameworks, or even plugins can make it easy for hackers to attack. These outdated materials contain known vulnerabilities, which are easy for hackers to exploit. If your website or app is running on such old frameworks, update them as soon as possible.
Dependency scanning tools can also help you figure out risky areas of your codebase. At the same time, automating updates and constant security checks in your CI/CD pipelines can also reduce the chances of your app getting under attack.
App Store & Deployment Security (Mobile-Specific)
Mobile apps face unique security challenges, especially during deployment. Attackers often attempt to tamper with APK (Android) or IPA (iOS) files to inject malicious code into your system. Protecting these files with integrity checks ensures users download legitimate versions.
Code obfuscation is another key tactic. By scrambling the readable structure of your code, you make it harder for hackers to reverse-engineer and exploit your app.
Conclusion
App security is not a one-time project that you do once and it’ll be good for the rest of the year. Instead, you need to actively monitor, update, and keep making important changes that can further enhance the security level of your app and website.
Failing to stay updated and not making quick decisions to further enhance the security of your app can make it an easy target for cyberattacks, which in turn can compromise sensitive information about your business and customers, potentially harming your business’s reputation.
FAQ
FAQs about Web & App Development
Looking to build or improve your website or app?
Implementing strong authentication and encrypting sensitive data are the two most critical steps to take.
Ideally, web apps should undergo security testing with every major update.
Authentication verifies who a user is (e.g., login credentials), while authorization determines what they can access (e.g., admin vs. regular user permissions).
Encryption is vital, but it is not enough on its own. You also need secure coding practices, strong authentication, and careful monitoring overall.
