Cyber attacks have been very common since the active use of technology in everyday life. These attacks do not only come from the technology itself, but are also intentionally carried out by irresponsible people or organizations.
Therefore, it is important for you to know the types of mobile app security threats that can threaten the security of personal data and even the operation of the technology itself. The information below is also important for company or organization owners to know in order to prevent it early on!
Top 8 Mobile App Security Threats
Here are eight common mobile app security threats that attack company or organization data systems that need to be anticipated:
1. Malware and Viruses
Malicious Software, also known as Malware, can spread through various ways. Malware can spread to your software through files downloaded from the internet, emails containing malicious attachments, infected websites, malicious advertisements, and network attacks.
Meanwhile, a computer virus specifically infiltrates and infects the targeted computer system. It works the same way as a virus in the human body, namely by duplicating itself and then spreading to other systems.
Computer viruses have the nature of damaging, changing or destroying data. Simply put, malware and viruses work together to launch their actions. Cybercriminals mostly use malware and viruses to attack their opponents because they are most effective and difficult to detect.
2. Data Breaches
Another frequent mobile app attack is a data breach. Data breaches are basically a continuation of malware and viruses. Cybercriminals use malware in various forms to enter and extract data on computer systems.
Data breaches are generally carried out to attack large companies or organizations that store thousands of customer/user data. The usual motives for cybercriminals through data breaches are spreading phishing links, running spyware, and selling illegal software.
3. Injection Attacks (SQL Injection, XSS)
As the name implies, injection attacks involve attackers injecting dangerous code into certain software or websites, posing a risk to mobile apps. These mobile app threats focus on attacking website pages that are frequently visited or store a lot of user data. Cybercriminals use SQL injection or XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) to carry out their actions.
XSS is a security vulnerability in which the attacker inserts code into the HTML page that the victim sees. Attackers can use it to obtain private information, including trade secrets, customer information, and personal data.
4. Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks
Have you ever heard news about phone number, email, or message tapping? The incident was carried out by digital criminals through MitM attacks. Generally, they have targeted a particular website or communication network to tap. T
They infiltrate the network to take important information, such as personal data, company secrets, and certain access codes.
5. Reverse Engineering
If you want to know how a system works, you have to dismantle or explore it first from the beginning. This concept is used in reverse engineering, where cybercriminals dismantle a system or software to be able to take data or find out how your software works.
The goal is for attackers to know where the weaknesses of the company or organization’s software are, how to access certain files, and the function of each component. After knowing this information, attackers can easily dismantle and take the information they need.
6. Improper Platform Usage
When well-documented platform-specific capabilities are not used as intended, this is known as improper platform usage. Your mobile applications may develop security flaws as a result of improper platform usage.
Your company or organization should be aware that mobile apps typically have full access to file and operating systems. A mobile application security flaw can have serious repercussions, including fraud and identity theft.
7. Insufficient Authentication and Authorization
Unsafe authentication and authorization features are highly vulnerable to cybercrime. This mobile app security threat is very common and is misused by irresponsible parties. Examples include Face ID, fingerprint, PIN code, password, and many more.
Mobile apps that do not have a good security system will be very easy to hack by other users. That is why there are often cases of tapping or hacking of applications that require biometric authentication, such as bank access, applications, and so on.
8. Lack of Secure Storage
Storing personal data or other important data that is not secure will make it very easy for mobile application security threats to occur. Even data that has been protected with a sophisticated system is still at high risk of being hacked. However, it would be better if you were more aware of storing data neatly and safely, such as cloud storage.
How to Prevent Mobile App Security Threats
You do not need to worry about cybercrimes because you can apply several ways to prevent mobile app security threats below:
1. Enable 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication)
Mobile application threats can be prevented by activating 2FA. This Two-Factor Authentication can prevent attackers from directly entering your account or data. A simple example is the lockscreen feature on a smartphone. When you activate the Face ID feature, the smartphone will only open if it detects your face.
However, if the face is not detected, the smartphone will ask you to enter the PIN code that has been set. In that way, attackers will not easily enter your smartphone if they do not know the PIN.
2. Routine Data Backup
Regularly backing up data is essential for active users of technology, particularly for companies or organizations. You can backup data to the cloud manually or automatically. Usually, the system provides several automatic data backup options per day, per 7 days, per 30 days, and so on.
3. Regularly Do Penetration Testing
Mobile application security threats are examined through penetration testing. It looks for any flaws that an attacker could use to undermine the finished application’s security. It entails verifying unprotected data, weak password policies, third-party app permissions, etc.
Those are 8 mobile app security threats that often occur and attack companies or organizations. You need to fully understand the discussion above to recognize the characteristics of these threats early and learn how to prevent them. Thus, the security of your data will be more guaranteed.