Security Testing for Mobile Applications

Security Testing for Mobile Applications,Every successful software application development cycle characterizes an element of security testing. With the massive surge in the increase in the number of businesses turning to mobile-first practices, the rate of mobile cyber breaches has also spiked. Every cuber security breach results in massive losses for an app business. This is what makes mobile application security testing a useful tool in the mobile application testing process. Building security test cases for mobile applications allow enterprises to uncover security vulnerabilities in every part of the app environment. That is why security testing tools for mobile apps is done to find security holes on the app before attackers. Thus, modern mobile app businesses make security a part of the design and development of the mobile application.

The use of security testing tools for mobile applications ensures consistent recording of the security strength of a mobile application. Moreover, businesses use a combination of manual and automated security testing techniques to safeguard the app. The guidelines for mobile app security testing prescribe the use of a series of fabricated malicious attacks. Mainly if a business sources a mobile app from a 3rd-party mobile app development agency, mobile app security testing becomes a fruitful exercise. Very often, mobile app developers focus on the User Interface of their application that they tend to overlook the security side. As crucial is it to integrate the end-delivery of the mobile app with security backing, vendors count on a security testing company to do the needful.

Why is Security Testing an Integral Part of Every Mobile Application Development Process?

A mobile app that aligns well with the technical requirements of the business is not enough today. All app products also need to meet specific operational requirements. The app must keep the production environment as-is and without any security risks. Thus, security testing for mobile apps allows businesses to adopt a security- first approach. Don’t waste your time thinking if the hackers will breach the security of mobile app design, attack it’s back-end systems or even steal the data or not. Safeguarding your app product regardless helps mitigate the risk involved in case there is an attack. A security testing services company can help you guess the behaviors of hackers. Further, using security testing tools for mobile apps, businesses can uncover flaws in the code.

Mobile app security testing helps businesses discover security vulnerabilities. Left undiscovered vulnerabilities could have grown to become security breaches in live applications. When companies conduct security testing for mobile apps before the final launch, they save a lot of money. Again fixing vulnerabilities is cheaper than fixing full-fledged breaches in app structure after its launched. Timely security testing for mobile applications allows developers to change the architecture, the design and the code of the application before the launch.

Further, testing mobile application security is essential to achieve highly secure ICT environments. Mobile apps must adhere to security testing guidelines, so that it can meet cyber-security laws and pass certifications like the ISO 27001 certification, HIPAA, FIPS 140-2, OWASP methodology,

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Types of Mobile Application Security Testing

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Penetration Testing

Vulnerability Scanning Security Scanning

Risk Assessment

Security Auditing

Posture Assessment

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Mobile Application Security Testing Best Practices that ASTAQC Team Swears By

If you are a business owner often wondering ‘how to do security testing for mobile applications’? You are at the right place.

Enlisted below are some best practices that we at ASTAQC follow to do security testing for mobile application:

Check the Various Access Points

Most businesses in today’s market work in collaboration with others. Digital partnerships are a big way in which online companies turn up their revenue streams. Sometimes, the mobile apps of such companies have to provide consistent access to the latest data to the users and new visitors alike. However, this open access brings along the risk of an unwanted breach. Thus, to immune a mobile app from such attacks, the tester needs to check the entry points of the app. Our security testing guidelines for mobile apps warn testers to evaluate all the access requests. Conclusively, all access requests must come from reliable IPs or applications.

Test the Mobile App for Error Handling

Our security testing checklist for mobile applications also includes testing the error codes. For instance, errors of 408, 400, 404, and others can be tackled with directed actions. Thus the testers ensure that the presented page doesn’t contain any critical data or information to hackers. Also, this test includes the checkup of the stack traces that help the potential hackers to make breaches.

Check the Third Party Code

Mobile app developers often use open-source and third-party components to assemble code quickly. However, even a single flaw found in a third component can undermine the security of your mobile app. Again, it can also lead to a massive security breach. Thus, the security testing checklist for mobile applications includes keeping an eye on the third party code.

According to mobile app security testing guide, it’s best to curate an inventory of the code components that their application relies on. Pairing code inventory maintenance with frequent testing prevents hackers from app breaches.

Mark the Vulnerabilities

It is best to break the application into parts and check it for vulnerabilities. This helps in quick identification of failure paths and loopholes. Through our experience in mobile app security testing online, we know that many bugs hide in the primary and most unnoticed security vulnerabilities.

Following a strict mobile app security testing methodology, we test mobile apps for poor authentication, weak passwords or security policies. Again we use vulnerability scanners to identify hidden networks and vulnerabilities. In the end, after executing tests, we categorize vulnerabilities as per their technical severity. We then proceed to recommend a single security solution or multiple patches and upgrades to client businesses.

Automate Security Tests for Mobile Apps

Any mobile app security testing checklist will include special treatment and approaches. It is easy to perform automation for security tests by segmenting it into functional security tests and non-functional ones. For example, authentication and password generation are necessary functional tests. Testers also need to perform non-functional tests against known weaknesses, security scanning and testing application logic. Thus, by segmenting the objectives of security testing and automating the tests, testers can easily specify the success criteria.

Further, the concept of continuous testing and delivery works demands that test automation is effectively implemented through the process. With ongoing Continuous Testing, test automation can help find the defects simultaneously, and the software release can happen continuously.

Check for Vulnerability Outbreak

Always remember that the main objective behind mobile app security testing is to safeguard an app from a possible outbreak of mass attack. Thus, choosing the right mobile app security testing software can be strategic when defining the objectives of a mobile app. Because vulnerability can emerge from within the application or even externally, developing automation frameworks to test vulnerability attacks is essential.

"The principal objective of software testing is to give confidence in the software."- Anonymous

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