Hackers have become increasingly dexterous at targeting smartphones, deeming app security as a pressing issue for all mobile users. Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities in mobile software to steal confidential data or even money. As a result, security companies are collectively advocating a feature called application shielding, which is a process that obscures an application’s binary code, making it harder for hackers to gain access to the device.

The techniques used in application shielding modify a service’s application code, making it more difficult for someone to tamper with it or to find ways to remove digital-rights locks and steal data. This is a great method used to protect intellectual property and cut down on plagiarism. With the advances being made in technology, application shielding can now run integrity and validity checks, as well as bio-metric authentication checks to obstruct hackers from an application’s binary and to look for new ways to exploit it.

However, mobile application shielding is still evolving and the increase in smartphone attacks suggests that some of its features may be exaggerated. Many basic security issues are still being found in most of the apps, including weak encryption and exploits that have leaked data. The lack of shielding is shockingly negligent and is a direct result of manufacturers and developers who do not invest in security measures because it affects their profit-margins.

Application shielding can be incorporated into your overall cybersecurity protocol, but it shouldn’t fool you into thinking that you can safely leave sensitive content embedded in an app and that outsiders can’t see it. This strategy may hinder an attacker from exploiting your information but is not enough to stop the many highly skilled hackers out there. Re-analysing your entire attack surface and cybersecurity protocols on a regular basis is the best way to ensure that your data is safe.