The sharp decline in mobile web browsing has made it essential for businesses to launch mobile apps. But each entrepreneur has to focus on many factors to make the mobile app popular in the longer run. In addition to concentrating on the app’s look, feel, features, functionality and user experience, it is also important for the business to ensure that its application is 100% secure. An entrepreneur must ask the QA professionals to perform elaborate security testing to protect the app from targeted malware attacks, and keep the sensitive user information stored in the app secure. There are also a number of reasons why security testing of mobile apps is essential for each business.

Why Each Business Must Focus Extensively on Mobile Security Testing?

Eliminate All Weaknesses in the Source Code
A number of studies have highlighted that most cyber criminals execute targeted security attacks by taking advantage of the loopholes in the source code of mobile apps. The loopholes in the source code allow cyber criminals to take full control of the mobile device, and assess the valuable user information. So the testers must review the source code of the mobile app, and identify the weaker pieces of code that make the app vulnerable to targeted malware attacks.

Eliminate Chances of Data Leaks
Nowadays, users store a variety of personal and sensitive information of their mobile devices. Most apps also access the personal information of users to deliver better and more personalized user experience. So it becomes essential for the businesses to eliminate the chances of data leaks. While performing security testing, the QA professionals can eliminate data leaks by assessing the data stored locally on the mobile device, hard-coded sensitive data in the application’s source code, and data in transition.

Detect Flaws in Third-Party APIs and Services
While using modern mobile apps, developers use a variety of third-party application programming interfaces (APIs), services and code snippets. As the tools and software are not developed by the in-house team, the businesses must assess their security thoroughly. In addition to checking the software, APIs and services individually, the testers also need to assess the security of the application after their integration. Also, they must focus on the data transmission to ensure that the user information remains safe despite using the third-party software.

Resist Real-Time Application Attacks
It is also important for businesses to protect their mobile apps from real-time application attacks. Normally, the real-time application attacks occur when the application is being executed. The cyber criminals try to harm the application by submitting malicious input at the runtime. The malicious inputs alter the application’s functionality and behavior at the runtime. But the testers can always use an innovative technology like runtime application self-protection (RASP) to identify the malicious inputs, and resist the runtime attacks by changing the configuration automatically.

Comply with Regulations and Corporate Policies
Most enterprises nowadays allow employees to bring and use their own mobile devices. So employees assess and exchange a variety of business data through their mobile devices. The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy makes it essential for businesses to ensure that the mobile apps meet their corporate security policy. The testers must perform elaborate security testing and review to ensure that the business data is accessible only by authorized employees. At the same time, they also need to assess the security features of the mobile app thoroughly to ensure that it complies with the latest regulatory requirements.

Resist Trojan Apps
A number of reports recently highlighted that many cyber criminals are distributing malware through websites and mobile apps. Often users download malicious applications or games on their devices without being aware of their malicious functionality. The Trojan apps or games can monitor user activity, retrieve sensitive data, impersonate the UI, make modifications to the system or configuration, and make unauthorized calls and messaging. The testers must perform elaborate security testing to ensure that the mobile app is effective in keeping the user data secure despite the presence of Trojan apps and hidden spyware.

Take Advantage of Security Testing Tools
There are many instances when large companies have to shut down their mobile apps temporarily due to targeted malware attacks despite investing in expensive security tools. But the testers can use a variety of tools to assess the security and vulnerability of a mobile app comprehensively. They can use the tools to perform static, dynamic and forensic mobile app security testing. At the same time, the testing tools further make it easier for QA professional to perform a variety of security tests regularly. So a business can assess the security of its mobile app during various stages of development and deployment to address complicated threat models effectively.

A business also has option to avail independent testing services to validate the security of mobile apps more effectively. Here a quick look at some of mobile app testing method it is always important for the entrepreneur to assess the mobile security testing strategy made by the software testing service provider to ensure that security of the mobile app, backend infrastructure and data flow is assessed thoroughly and repeatedly.