There is no doubt that application security should be one of the top priorities for companies developing software. With advancing technology and a security perimeter that constantly seems to be pushing outward toward client devices, app security has become a crucial topic that all major enterprises must consider and understand.

Without suitable application security, sensitive and confidential information on devices could be stolen or lost, leading to compliance violations, data breaches, and expensive or embarrassing public disclosures. This is why implementing security solutions is vital to protect end users’ data and safeguard business reputation and revenue.

There is no doubt that application security should be one of the top priorities for companies developing software. With advancing technology and a security perimeter that constantly seems to be pushing outward toward client devices, app security has become a crucial topic that all major enterprises must consider and understand.

Without suitable application security, sensitive and confidential information on devices could be stolen or lost, leading to compliance violations, data breaches, and expensive or embarrassing public disclosures. This is why implementing security solutions is vital to protect end users’ data and safeguard business reputation and revenue.


Did you know that hackers are aggressively targeting mobile apps in order to gain access to personal and sensitive information? While traditional backend servers are protected, apps and devices have become the wild west of security vulnerabilities. As release frequency is increasing, and the requirements for data and application security are getting stricter.

Penetration Testing

When it comes to application security, it is critical to understand your unique data workflow in order to prevent vulnerabilities that may lead to security incidents. Penetration testing (or pen testing) is one of the most effective ways to do this. Penetration testing helps you outline the various weak points in your app and offers insight into how to prepare your defenses in order to safeguard those vulnerabilities or weaknesses.

We can define penetration testing as a simulated cyber-attack where a professional, ethical hacker breaks into corporate networks in order to find weaknesses before real attackers do. Pen tests are essential as they give development teams the information they need about the vulnerabilities they should patch.

You can perform application penetration testing by simulating unauthorized attacks either internally or externally to gain access to confidential and sensitive data.

Once pen testing is complete, this will give you an idea about where to place automated checks and security measures inside your applications. The following methods should be implemented to create layered security and safeguard data:

Environmental Checks

With the help of environmental checks, you can protect your application even outside of controlled ecosystems. As a developer, you will not always have full control over the environment your applications run in. This is why you should take steps to secure your software regardless of where it executes. 

Anti-Tamper Technology

You can use this method to get timely alerts when someone is modifying your code or changing it. You can employ anti-tamper techniques in order to prevent illegitimate applications from executing.

It is important to use digital signatures, checksums, and other validation mechanisms that help detect tampering. Tamper prevention is essential as it keeps your software running as intended by your developers. It is worth noting that it creates a network of several micro-checks. This helps prevent any modification, ensuring that your code only executes within the context and confines of your app.

Usually, it is crucial to have a comprehensive log of code changes of your application so that malicious programmers don’t inject bad code into the app. Anti-tamper protection monitors both your application and the environment in which it is running. Hence, it covers the whole spectrum of runtime threats as well as attacks.

Code obfuscation

Code obfuscation is a method of modifying or changing the source code or machine code of your app in order to make it more difficult and time-consuming for attackers to read or understand it. Although the process can modify actual metadata or method instructions, it does not change the program’s output.

Keeping the functionality of the code intact, obfuscation helps development teams and coders conceal the purpose and logic of the code effectively. So, code obfuscation takes well-engineered code, making it hard for an attacker or hacker to comprehend. A hacker’s first step during an attack is to carefully analyze code in order to gain a thorough understanding of your app logic. However, if you use code obfuscation, hackers and cybercriminals cannot get started. Here are some basic steps in code obfuscation:

  • Changing the variable or class names to some vague labels

  • Encrypting the entire code or some part of the code

Layered Security is Key

Combining these methods after a pen test exposes vulnerabilities is key to developing a safe, secure application. A security breach will damage your reputation, undercut your revenue, and could even mean lawsuits for neglecting compliance. For these reasons, it is important to have security tools properly implemented to avoid any harm to your business and your customers.