OWASP and ENISA: 10 Things Mobile Application Developers Should Know

ENISA and OWASP Issue Smartphone Secure Development Guidelines

The European Network and information Security Agency (ENISA) and OWASP have published a report for secure development guidelines on mobile devices. Written for smartphone application developers, the report lists ten critical areas to consider when creating the next Angry Birds, or the ultra-portable office solution.

The report is straight to the point, listing ten controls, the risks associated with them, and various mitigation points. For example, developers should identify and protect sensitive data on the mobile device. This is to be expected, but the report offers that one way to do so is to store sensitive information on the server instead of the client, or to classify data according to sensitivity during the design phase, and deal with it there.

In addition to the ten controls, the report offers other tips including three that standout:

• Run apps with the minimum privilege required for the application on the operating system. Be aware of privileges granted by default by APIs and disable them.

• Don’t authorize code/app to execute with root/system administrator privilege

• Ensure logging is done appropriately but do not record excessive logs, especially those including sensitive user information.

On Demand Webcast: Protecting Corporate Data in Mobile Apps

As for the controls themselves, the list includes:

• Identify and protect sensitive data on the mobile device

• Handle password credentials securely on the device

• Ensure sensitive data is protected in transit

• Implement user authentication and authorization and session management correctly

• Keep the backend APIs (services) and the platform (server) secure

• Secure data integration with third party services and applications

• Pay specific attention to the collection and storage of consent for the collection and use of user’s data

• Implement controls to prevent unauthorized access to paid-for resources (wallet, SMS, phone calls, etc…)

• Ensure secure distribution/provisioning of mobile applications

• Carefully check any runtime interpretation of code for errors  

To see all of the 67 recommendations for mobile application development under the ten best practices, head here.  

Realated: Mitigation of Security Vulnerabilities on Android & Other Open Handset Platforms

On Demand Webcast: Protecting Corporate Data in Mobile Apps