Application hardening is the process of making an application secure by reducing its attack surface. Reducing the vulnerable surface available for attackers makes it more resilient to security threats and keeps your data secure.
App hardening is a crucial part of developing a secured mobile environment. By implementing a secure software development lifecycle process, you minimize the potential attack surface and enhance your application's resilience to security risks.
When your app is used in zero-trust environments, app hardening safeguards your users’ credentials. It determines the necessary actions in the event of an attack or compromise, preventing hackers from inspecting internal values and tampering the app.
Sometimes, attackers might try to reverse engineer your app back to an ASCII file. App hardening shields your application from these attempts. It includes changing default passwords, removing unused software, minimizing abandoned usernames and logins, and disabling unnecessary services.
App hardening is also called system hardening or OS hardening. Some methods used for application hardening are:
One of the main reasons why iOS is considered more secure than Android is Apple's stringent app regulations and the closed environment of the iOS ecosystem. Apple’s App Store has strict guidelines that developers need to adhere to. Their review process includes checks for security vulnerabilities. Besides code obfuscation and encrypting sensitive data, Apple also has built-in security features like Data Protection and Secure Enclave.
The variety of Android devices and versions makes it important for developers to thoroughly test and run compatibility checks on the apps. Binary hardening, implementing permission controls, and utilizing Android's built-in security features like SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux) harden your app against threats.
App hardening complements secure coding by adding additional layers of defense against threats. But it cannot replace the security measures that you integrate into the app at the development stage.
This is because by writing software with security in mind, you address vulnerabilities at the source. Without secure coding practices, your app may still contain fundamental vulnerabilities that app hardening alone cannot fully mitigate.
When the internet became widespread, cyber attacks grew, prompting the need for stronger security measures. Recognizing the growing threat landscape, developers and security professionals began focusing on securing software applications in the late 2000s.
App hardening techniques like code obfuscation, binary hardening, and input validation gained traction to reduce the attack surface and potential vulnerabilities.
In the 2010s, the growing popularity of smartphones and mobile apps made app stores targets for malicious actors to distribute malware. App hardening then became essential for app developers to protect sensitive user data and prevent unauthorized access to device resources.
Technological developments have significantly impacted app hardening and security measures.
In recent times, regulatory requirements and industry standards such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), and HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) have also driven the adoption of app hardening practices.