The Mobile App Security Library

App tampering refers to unauthorized modifications made to an application’s code or operational environment to alter its behavior, bypass security measures, or manipulate its functions. This can include changes to the application's binary, the injection of malicious code, or modifications to its runtime environment.

Application hardening for mobile apps refers to implementing security measures to protect apps against reverse engineering, tampering, or malware attacks. Using methods such as runtime self-protection, code obfuscation, and white-box cryptography, application hardening protects your app against some of the most common types of cyberattacks. However, application hardening is not a replacement for security measures integrated into app development at outset.

Application shielding refers to a set of technologies that modify an application’s source, byte, or binary code, making it more resistant to intrusion, tampering, reverse engineering, and malware attacks. Unlike security solutions that monitor and test vulnerabilities, application shielding can detect and prevent real-time attacks against mobile applications.

Certificate pinning is a security technique that increases secure communication over the TLS (transport layer security) protocol, like HTTPS. It ties a chosen TLS certificate or public key exclusively to the API server, allowing the application to reliably confirm the server's identity each time it connects. During interactions, the server presents a digital certificate to prove its identity and secures the encryption of data sent through APIs between the client and server. By matching the server’s shown certificate against a predetermined or "pinned" certificate within the app, certificate pinning ensures an additional layer of security, preventing man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks and ensuring server communication integrity.