Whether you’re on team Android or team Apple, there is one certainty: if you have a smartphone, you use plenty of apps. Applications are one of the primary driving forces behind modern smartphones and allow us to fully take advantage of our device’s capabilities.
Some of these apps are basic, like a calculator or calendar. Others, like YouTube or Spotify, are more advanced and give us access to endless entertainment options. Then there are social apps, like Instagram or WhatsApp, that grant us the ability to stay connected to others—albeit at a price.
The cost is that we feed tons of personal information into these applications. These apps constantly index our private chats, camera rolls, and even our locations so that they’re ready and waiting whenever we want to share or upload something.
One of the primary reasons we’re willing to share our sensitive and intimate information with these apps is that we believe them to be secure. However, we generally give little thought to whether this is entirely true or what processes are taking place to prove this.
Fortunately, the reality is that most mobile device applications available in reputable stores are secure and have a plethora of security features to protect your data. These apps are also constantly updated with new patches and fixes to ensure your data remains safe, even if somebody finds an exploitable bug.
If you’re curious about the common ways apps keep your data safe so that you can make the most of them without worrying, you’ll learn that below.
Encryption
Encryption is one of the most primal ways to keep information safe. Cryptography dates back to around 1900 BC, meaning it has been a reliable way to keep prying eyes from seeing information not meant for them for thousands of years.
Many modern applications use encryption in various ways. This starts with the app’s source code, which is the powerhouse that runs all features. This source code is commonly encrypted so that attackers cannot see the inner workings of the app and find a security loophole.
After the source code, many applications encrypt any data stored in the app’s memory or cache. Data packets sent from or received by the app using the internet are also usually encrypted. Some apps even use end-to-end encryption, meaning only clients using the same app on either side of communication can decrypt information.
Credentials
Encryption can undoubtedly prevent your information from being read if it is stolen or intercepted. The downside to this security measure is if somebody else accesses your device. When this happens, apps will display your unencrypted information regardless of who is using your phone.
To mitigate data breaches in occurrences like this, many apps use security walls that require credentials. These walls block out any user who is unable to provide the correct credentials associated with the app.
This added layer of protection may seem like an annoyance, particularly if the app requires you to sign in each time you launch it. However, acting as a firewall that, to most commonfolk, is near impenetrable makes the inconvenience of using credentials seem immaterial.
Biometrics
Working hand in hand with credentials, most modern smartphones can record and store biometric information such as your fingerprint, a retina scan, or a facial structure map.
This information can prove a device’s ownership by matching the corresponding biometric data with that saved earlier. Biometric storage and authentication are often handled by the device’s operating system, not individual apps.
Despite this, many apps can use your operating system to authenticate and unlock, allowing you to use biometrics as credentials before granting access to your private information. Not only is this method of authentication easier, but it is also more secure, as biometric information is much harder to clone or hack than traditional credentials like a username and password.
2FA
Invented in 1996 by telecommunications provider AT&T, 2FA (two-factor authentication) has become commonplace in the modern digital world. It is used in mobile apps and servers, computers, and digital accounts worldwide.
Two-factor authentication requires that you enter a unique code emailed to you or sent to your mobile number when logging in. This process protects accounts against brute-force attacks or in instances where your password may have been compromised.
Several applications use this technology, including some that specialize in acting as 2FA agents. These apps, commonly called authenticators, can generate unique codes for 2FA sign-ins that change every few seconds to keep your account extra secure.
Data Sharing Restrictions
One final way apps protect your information is through data-sharing restrictions. This is common in almost all applications, including free-to-download slot apps on casinos.com and those downloaded through official app stores.
These restrictions limit the data that other applications installed on the same device can access. In some cases, they also limit the data that can be viewed by your device’s operating system, allowing only the data required to run and display the app properly.
This limitation on accessing data makes it harder for malware or spyware that may make its way onto your phone to acquire information from installed apps. Instead, it creates a secure pocket within the installed app that only allows authorized data to be seen from within the app.
Conclusion
Whether we like it or not, living in our digital age comes with the risk of our data being breached and our information being stolen. As more people get connected and more unethical users try to exploit vulnerabilities, protecting this information is more critical than ever.
Using the above techniques, app developers can grant access to spectacular features and convenience while protecting your data and the things you don’t want to be shared. While none of these data protection methods can be said to be 100% impenetrable, they make it harder for hackers to access your data and could give you time to secure it should you realize that something isn’t quite right.