Slides and materials from UIKonf in Berlin 2014
Mobile app security has been in the news a lot lately. Whether it's Starbucks storing unencrypted user passwords or mobile banking apps not handling man-in-the-middle attacks, users are now very aware of security. Not everyone is building a mobile banking app, but we all have users that expect our apps keep their data secure and private. Security is just as much a feature as a beautiful and well designed interface is, and all it takes is one security breach to put a black mark on an otherwise well crafted application.
The hardest part of mobile security is that mobile devices are inherently insecure. We carry them around with us all the time, where anyone can have physical access to them. Since we can't securely store the device itself, the focus shifts to securely storing the user's data on the device. It's important not to store or transmit user data in irresponsible ways. There are plenty of levels data storage security though, and every app will have a different set of requirements. Thats why its so important to design for security from the beginning and make decisions about what level of security is acceptable to you, your stakeholders, and your users.
This talk will focus on some key best practices for securing iOS apps. We'll discuss different ways to securely store data on iOS, some common safeguards to make sure network communication is happening securely, and explain why the keychain might not really be as secure as you think. Expect to learn at least a few tips that you haven't heard of before!
Security is certainly a very large field. Its hard to define what would really make any app deserving of being called "secure". This talk will help you better understand security on iOS and how to make decisions about how to address security in your apps.