![]() When searching for file encryption examples for Android be aware that many of these include use of the Crypto provider and the “SHA1PRNG” algorithm. On a rooted device these files are easily accessible however, so you should never store sensitive information here without encrypting it first. These files are protected by standard Linux-style file permissions, restricting access to only the application binary. Android – Filesystem AccessĪndroid’s SharedPreferences stores data unencrypted on the filesystem. For more information check out the Security Frameworkreference. This will ensure that your data is secure, even if the Data Protection API is compromised. The easiest way to implement your own encryption on iOS is to use the SecKey family of functions, such as SecKeyEncrypt and SecKeyDecrypt. When storing especially sensitive data on either the filesystem or Keychain you should also make use of the iOS encryption facilities to ensure that your data is secure. This flag ensures that the data is encrypted at rest whenever the device is locked or booting, reducing the effectiveness of external file browser tools. When storing data in standard files on disk you should ensure that the data is always stored with the NSFileProtectionComplete flag set. You should also ensure that you’re using the most protective attributes possible for your Keychain items, such as kSecAttrAccessibleWhenUnlocked. For the storage of small amounts of data such as passwords, keys and certificates the iOS Keychain should be your preferred option rather than standard files or NSUserDefaults. iOS – Filesystem Accessĭesktop apps like iPad File Explorer make access to the device filesystem very straightforward, without jailbreaking or using specialist security tools. Where possible you should move this configuration data to the application binary, especially if it defines API endpoints or access keys. ![]() In all of these cases the configurations files could be modified by an attacker. Some apps will also read configuration information from files or even allow this configuration to be overwritten by a back-end system. Most applications will need to store session information to ensure that the application remains in a consistent state between uses. Enterprise IT departments should push out policies to enforce device features like automatic device locking and passcodes where possible. If an attacker has access to the physical device it can be very easy for them to gain access to app data and media files depending upon the device security settings. ![]() After this change your application data should not be included in any backups initiated by ADB or any other backup tools that make use of its functionality. All you need to do is add android:allowBackup=”false” to the Application section of your app manifest. This capability is enabled by default across most Android devices, and represents a major concern – especially for enterprise applications.ĭisabling ADB backups for your application is relatively straightforward. The Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool can be used without root access by an end-user or an attacker with access to the device. userDomainMask, appropriateFor: nil, create: false) To achieve this all you need to do is to store the sensitive data in the Library/caches folder: let fileURL = try! fault The easiest way to avoid issues with iOS backups is to ensure that any sensitive data that can be easily recovered from back-end systems is not backed up at all. However, Apple have made changes to their backup encryption for iOS 10, making the backup data encryption much easier to crack. IOS users can use the iTunes desktop software to backup the device data to their laptop if they wish. Unfortunately for the developer this represents an easy way for your data to be distributed and copied outside of the app’s sandbox, and in turn the filesystem protections enforced by the mobile OS. To the end user a reliable local backup of their data is a great way to secure their investment should something happen to the device. For enterprise applications this area of mobile security can have huge repercussions including damage to the company’s reputation or even the violation of external policies such as PCI compliance. If you haven’t already please check out our OWASP Mobile Top 10 2016:M1 – Improper Platform Usage article, which has some great advice around platform security features such as the Keychain, TouchID, Android Intents and platform permissions.Ĭareless use of the mobile platform’s storage can result in a host of potential issues for the end user, including identity theft and fraud. This is the second article in our OWASP Mobile Top 10 series, which aims to flesh-out the OWASP recommendations with some concrete examples that you can apply to your iOS and Android applications today.
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