Last Updated on December 27th, 2024, By
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An ultimate comprehensive matrix guide to secure mobile apps blog by appsealing

An evolved requirement in the rapidly changing panorama of mobile technology is security but not an option for development. Today, we have the Secure Matrix, which simply provides an all-in guide for developers and security engineers to various complexities of mobile application security.

What is a Secure Matrix?ย 

Mobile applications are fast exposing themselves to sophisticated threats that cut across the sensitive data as well as user privacy and company operations. The Secure Matrix provides the necessary instrument for such exposures and, consequently, the alignment with the OWASP framework is expected to give a thorough disaggregation of vulnerabilities and protections.

Exploring the Vulnerabilities of Mobile Applications in Depth

This is accompanied by the OWASP version for each attack as set out by our Secure Matrix, which also features clarity and actionable insights for the end-user:

Network Security Threats: How the unsecure VPN and proxy services can be alleviated by advanced RASP protections.

Platform Interaction: Protection against unauthorized actions, including fake GPS, location spoofing, and insecure IPC mechanisms.

Data Protection: Prevention of data leakage through harvesting from the clipboard or through unsafe data storage methods.

Authentication and Session Management: Insight into preventing SIM swapping attacks and biometric authentication bypass.

Resistance against Runtime Attacks: Discover how to make your app resistant to memory manipulation tools such as GameGuardian or dynamic code injection.

The Secure Matrix Table

Hereโ€™s a detailed overview of mobile application attacks, the corresponding RASP protections, and how they align with the OWASP framework:

Attack/Vulnerability RASP Protection OWASP MASVS Category OWASP MASWE Reference OWASP MSTG Reference OWASP Mobile Top 10
Unsecure VPN Service Detects and blocks connections through untrusted VPNs to prevent data interception. MASVS-N: Network Security MASWE-1.3.5: Untrusted Network Connections MSTG-NETWORK-5: Test for untrusted networks M3: Insecure Communication
Proxy-Aware Attacks Identifies and mitigates proxy-based attacks by validating network requests and responses. MASVS-N: Network Security MASWE-1.3.6: Proxy-Aware Attacks MSTG-NETWORK-6: Test for proxy vulnerabilities M3: Insecure Communication
Fake GPS and Location Spoofing Detects and blocks fake GPS applications and ensures location data integrity. MASVS-P: Platform Interaction MASWE-1.2.8: Location Spoofing MSTG-PLATFORM-9: Test for location spoofing M1: Improper Platform Usage
Root Certificate Swapping Validates certificates at runtime to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks via root certificate manipulation. MASVS-N: Network Security MASWE-1.3.7: Root Certificate Manipulation MSTG-NETWORK-7: Test for certificate validation M3: Insecure Communication
App Installation from Untrusted Sources Ensures the app is installed from trusted sources and detects sideloaded or tampered installations. MASVS-P: Platform Interaction MASWE-1.2.9: Untrusted Installation Sources MSTG-PLATFORM-10: Test for installation source M1: Improper Platform Usage
Biometric Authentication Bypass Secures biometric authentication mechanisms against spoofing and unauthorized access. MASVS-A: Authentication MASWE-1.5.3: Biometric Authentication Bypass MSTG-AUTH-2: Test biometric authentication M4: Insecure Authentication
Lock Screen Disabled Functionality Ensures sensitive app functionalities are inaccessible when the device lock screen is disabled. MASVS-P: Platform Interaction MASWE-1.2.10: Lock Screen Disabled Risks MSTG-PLATFORM-11: Test for lock screen enforcement M1: Improper Platform Usage
SIM Swapping Attacks Detects changes in SIM card information and enforces re-authentication to prevent account takeover. MASVS-A: Authentication MASWE-1.5.4: SIM Swapping Risks MSTG-AUTH-3: Test for SIM swap detection M4: Insecure Authentication
GameGuardian and Cheat Tool Exploits Detects and blocks memory manipulation tools like GameGuardian to prevent cheating in games. MASVS-R: Resilience MASWE-1.6.8: Game Cheat Tool Exploits MSTG-RESILIENCE-9: Test for cheat tool detection M7: Client Code Tampering
Malware Injections Identifies and prevents malicious code injections during runtime. MASVS-R: Resilience MASWE-1.6.9: Malware Injection Risks MSTG-RESILIENCE-10: Test for malware injection M8: Code Tampering
Overlay Malware Attacks Detects and blocks malicious overlays that attempt to steal user credentials or sensitive information. MASVS-P: Platform Interaction MASWE-1.2.11: Overlay Malware Attacks MSTG-PLATFORM-12: Test for overlay malware M1: Improper Platform Usage
Clipboard Data Harvesting by Malware Prevents malware from accessing sensitive data copied to the clipboard. MASVS-S: Data Storage MASWE-1.1.4: Clipboard Data Harvesting MSTG-STORAGE-4: Test for clipboard data protection M2: Insecure Data Storage
Screen Recording by Malware Detects and blocks unauthorized screen recording attempts by malicious applications. MASVS-P: Platform Interaction MASWE-1.2.12: Unauthorized Screen Recording MSTG-PLATFORM-13: Test for screen recording protection M1: Improper Platform Usage
Insecure Inter-Process Communication (IPC) Secures IPC mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access and data leakage. MASVS-P: Platform Interaction MASWE-1.2.4: Insecure Inter-Process Communication MSTG-PLATFORM-5: Test for insecure IPC mechanisms M1: Improper Platform Usage
Weak Cryptographic Implementations Enforces strong cryptographic standards during runtime to protect data integrity and confidentiality. MASVS-C: Cryptography MASWE-1.4.3: Weak Cryptographic Implementations MSTG-CRYPTO-1: Ensure secure cryptographic practices M5: Insufficient Cryptography
Insecure Data Storage Encrypts sensitive data stored on the device to prevent unauthorized access from malware or attackers. MASVS-S: Data Storage MASWE-1.1.1: Insecure Data Storage MSTG-STORAGE-1: Ensure data is encrypted in storage M2: Insecure Data Storage
Runtime Memory Manipulation Prevents unauthorized memory access or modification through tools like GameGuardian, preventing in-app cheats. (Indirectly addresses Root Detection) MASVS-R: Resilience MASWE-1.6.8: Game Cheat Tool Exploits MSTG-RESILIENCE-9: Test for cheat tool detection M7: Client Code Tampering
Hooking Framework Exploits (e.g., Frida, Xposed) Detects and blocks runtime hooking attempts, preventing memory manipulation or code interception. (Indirectly addresses Jailbreak Detection) MASVS-R: Resilience MASWE-1.6.3: Code Injection via Hooking Frameworks MSTG-RESILIENCE-5: Prevent code injection M7: Client Code Tampering
Dynamic Code Loading or Injection Blocks unauthorized dynamic code loading or runtime code injection attempts to alter app behavior. MASVS-R: Resilience MASWE-1.6.6: Dynamic Code Modification MSTG-RESILIENCE-6: Test for runtime code changes M8: Code Tampering
Memory Dumping Encrypts memory sections and prevents dumping attempts to extract sensitive data or cryptographic keys. MASVS-C: Cryptography MASWE-1.4.4: Memory Dumping Risks MSTG-CRYPTO-2: Protect keys in memory M5: Insufficient Cryptography
Bypassing Runtime Integrity Checks Validates app integrity dynamically and prevents attackers from disabling or bypassing integrity checks. MASVS-R: Resilience MASWE-1.6.5: Runtime Integrity Risks MSTG-RESILIENCE-7: Test integrity verification M8: Code Tampering
Library Hooking Detects tampering with app dependencies or libraries and blocks maliciously modified calls. MASVS-P: Platform Interaction MASWE-1.2.13: Library Hooking MSTG-PLATFORM-14: Test library integrity M1: Improper Platform Usage
Stack Overflow Exploits Detects and mitigates buffer overflow or stack manipulation attempts during runtime. MASVS-C: Cryptography MASWE-1.4.5: Stack Overflow Exploits MSTG-CRYPTO-3: Prevent overflow risks M8: Code Tampering
Code Execution via Dynamic Method Swizzling Prevents malicious swizzling of app methods or APIs to manipulate app behavior. MASVS-R: Resilience MASWE-1.6.10: Method Swizzling MSTG-RESILIENCE-11: Test for method swizzling M7: Client Code Tampering
Debugger and Breakpoint Exploits Prevents app execution under debuggers and blocks breakpoint injections during runtime. MASVS-R: Resilience MASWE-1.6.2: Debugger Detection Risks MSTG-RESILIENCE-3: Anti-debugging mechanisms M8: Code Tampering

To Developers And Security Engineers

If you are a developer who builds that next great application or a security engineer devoted to the cause of protecting digital assets, then the Secure Matrix is for you. It serves as a comprehensive and organized approach to mobile security, pinpointing critical vulnerabilities as well as effective methods of their defense.

Stay Ahead of Security Threats

Secure Matrix empowers you to always keep a step ahead of possible threats to security. In this way, the development of these practices ensures that you not only have your applications secure but also improve your own mobile security skills.

On our blog, you’ll find ongoing articles as well as focused reports on individual vulnerabilities and more advanced security techniques. Together, we can build a safer mobile world for everyone.

Sidharth Nair
Sidharth Nair
Sidharth B is an Lead Application Security Engineer and Senior Analyst at AppSealing, with over seven years of expertise in Payment Security and Product Security. Alongside his technical writing skills, he specializes in exploring and researching the latest trends in Mobile App Security and Content Protection.
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