Catappult’s new platform helps keep app stores safe
The life of an app begins with an idea by a (genius!) developer. The app’s success starts when it’s uploaded to a platform for the world to access, download and enjoy it.
That said, there are countless apps that contain malware, viruses, or are stolen from their original creators. In fact, successful app stores (like Aptoide) receive several thousands of apps per day and analyzing all of them can be a hard task.
Moreover, some smaller app stores struggle to have efficient security mechanisms and stop the threats from reaching their users. With that in mind, we delve into a Catappult project that is currently under wraps (but we want to share with you anyway), which could be the solution to this problem!
Introducing Catappult’s cybersecurity project; a tool that infers the reputation of the developer.
What does that entail?
Say a developer was to go to Aptoide and upload malware; this new cybersecurity tool would be able to detect such behavior, read it as negative and record such event on a blockchain platform. In the case that the developer submits good apps, it will also be recorded in the public ledger.
The purpose is to have a ledger that understands the patterns of behavior of app developers in terms of security — and uses that ledger to streamline app store security systems. This will allow focussing on apps submitted by developers who are known to submit threats (or that are unknown) and implement more trust in developers who have a track record of submitting safe applications.
Why does the platform use blockchain?
Blockchain technology is immutable, reliable and secure, and allows for full transparency — making it an ideal structure through which to expose developers with bad intentions. In order to assure app developers privacy rights, this platform uses consortium/private blockchain which only shares developer information of relevance to the app store (stores where the developer has registered in).
Moreover, the fact that this platform uses blockchain means that this tool can be beneficial for other app stores too; and could consequently become a staple go-to platform for developer information. It is a horizontal platform (among all Catappult’s app stores) that will allow app stores to share security information and, by doing so, be more effective in protecting their users.
This would mean that when a developer is blocked from submitting content to Aptoide, other app stores would be automatically informed about which developers are uploading malware, threats and/or viruses. This allows the app stores to take immediate action on such developer if they wanted to.
When will this tool be put into effect?
This cybersecurity project is still in the process of development. Until the tool is elaborated and put into practice, our app stores will continue to use their security processes, some of which are not bad at all (for instance Aptoide’s security processes have been described in an independent scientific research as being one of the safest).
That said, this tool is set to build a cybersecurity layer that could become a common ground for several collaborative players — mainstream and/or third-party stores — in the same economy.
We believe that a horizontal platform of this kind could be very useful for the app economy. What do you think?
To know more about the main benefits of joining the Catappult Console, please visit our website or send an e-mail to info@catappult.io.
