The quality of mobile applications plays a crucial role in the success of any business in today’s mobile-first era. Users expect mobile apps to provide a seamless and valuable experience, and anything less could lead to decreased engagement, revenue loss, and damage to brand reputation. However, many development, DevOps, and QA teams fail to realize that the security of a mobile app is directly related to its quality. Security concerns are frequently ignored when creating mobile applications.
Mobile development teams frequently face pressure to produce the finest mobile apps that capture users attention and loyalty while juggling tight deadlines, lengthy ticket backlogs, and other recurring duties. This pressure may cause teams to place a higher priority on the mobile app’s functionality at the expense of security, delaying security testing till the conclusion of the development process. This raises the possibility of security flaws and poor quality issues surfacing in the wild.
Developers must approach security as a function of quality if they want to create a top-notch mobile app. They should use a continuous security testing strategy rather than waiting until the end of the development cycle to evaluate security. Here are five steps that developers must take to protect their mobile apps and ensure high quality at scale:
- Establish standards and regulations during production conceptualization: Early in the development cycle, stakeholders should specify the mobile app’s security requirements to enable secure development throughout. The Open Web Application Security Project’s (OWASP) Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS), for example, is a reliable source of industry standards that can be used to do this. Following the establishment of security criteria, project managers may submit accurate security requirements, architects can create a secure architecture, developers can adhere to secure coding best practices, and QA and security teams can test as the application is being developed.
- Include regular secure coding training for developers: Many developers are capable of producing quality code, but not all are knowledgeable about secure coding practises. By regularly utilizing online training and outside resources, developers should get familiar with fundamental secure coding approaches. In addition to making mobile apps safer, ongoing education will free up developers’ time to work on other aspects of the app rather than bug fixes.
- Providing In-App remediation resources for developers: Developers frequently use Stack Overflow and Google for immediate assistance when utilizing code or APIs. However, looking for answers online may be time-consuming and frequently yields inaccurate results. Developers are assisted in promptly resolving problems and learning how to avoid coding errors in the future by embedding remediation guidelines, training materials, and links to iOS and Android documentation inside security bug complaints.
- Utilizing continuous automated testing: Conducting manual security testing at the very end of the development cycle might impede progress and raise the possibility that security flaws will resurface. Developers can identify security problems early on and address them before they cause issues by utilizing continuous automated testing. A further benefit of automated testing is that it is more effective, giving developers more time to work on other aspects of the mobile app. Automated testing in most cases is 70% faster than manual testing.
- Adopt a DevSecOps approach: This method embeds security right at the start of the development process. Developers may ensure that security is included throughout the development cycle and that security bugs are found early on by incorporating security into the development process. An automated policy engine can be used by DevSecOps teams to guarantee compliance with the organization’s standard policy across the pipeline. The chance of security flaws can be decreased as a result, and the mobile app’s general quality can be raised.
In conclusion, security is a crucial aspect of mobile app development that should not be overlooked. By treating security as a function of quality and adopting a continuous security automated testing approach, developers can ensure that their mobile apps are secure and deliver a great user experience. By following the five steps outlined above, developers can secure their mobile apps and drive quality at scale.
Kate Savelova