Application hardening is an overall term for “hardening” or protecting an app against intrusions by eliminating vulnerabilities and increasing layers of security. Data security involves multiple layers of defense that are not limited to the app itself: the host level, the operating system level, the user level, the administrator level, and even the physical level of the device, all have vulnerabilities that a good security system must address. For this reason, application hardening might be called system hardening or OS hardening as well.

App hardening makes the application immune to both static and dynamic analysis. Static analysis refers to an attack where the hacker tries to decompile applications on a local machine. Dynamic attacks on the other hand manipulate apps by using a debugger tool or hooking frameworks.

Benefits of App Hardening

App hardening is integral to creating a secure mobile environment. It protects the application from vulnerabilities exploitation, IP theft, tampering, misuse of data and repackaging by people with malicious intent.

Following are some of the important benefits of application hardening:

• App hardening facilitates smooth and safe functioning of apps in zero trust environments. Many organizations today support BYOD policies and it has become difficult to ensure app security across a range of devices and environments that lie outside your control. App hardening ensures protection even if the application is run on less secure, unknown environments.

• It prevents Reverse engineering. Reverse engineering can lead to IP theft and repackaging. When a hacker tries to trace the application’s source code, app hardening ensures that the code is difficult to decipher through obfuscation techniques.

• Tampering is one of the top 10 mobile app security threats. Unprotected mobile apps can be easily tampered with resulting in data theft. App hardening maintains the integrity and triggers the application to identify and respond to threats. Hackers are unable to gain access to the internal values when the app is secured through app hardening.

• When there is sensitive data involved, it becomes critical to ensure stringent security. Apps that store credit card numbers or any such confidential information are prime targets for hackers. Such data, when exposed, can put your entire consumer base’ personal information at risk. App hardening is a step in the right direction to ensure data doesn’t fall into wrong hands.

• Negligence towards security doesn’t just have financial consequences, it contributes to reputational damage too. Once consumers lose trust, it will take forever for your enterprise to win back the hard earned reputation. Following security best practices such as app hardening helps maintain your reputation in the industry and also gives a competitive edge.