Can Blockchain offer better security to mobile apps?
It goes without saying that mobile app security is one of the biggest concerns today. Its a fact that mobile app technology is evolving rapidly, but the undeniable truth is that we are still on the razor’s edge when it comes to security.
Moving over bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology has now quietly entered the mainstream mobile app technology. Mobile app businesses and developers have already begun to impart Blockchain technology security features into the world of mobile applications.
When cyber criminals use ingenious methods to fob people and create harm, it becomes an inevitable need for the security systems to incorporate innovative methods to counter those threats. Since blockchain deploys some unique security features to facilitate safe storage and transfer for cryptocurrencies, its natural thinking that those features can also be used for mobile app security.
Let us see how blockchain technology is making a difference in mobile app security.
But before that, it calls for a good understanding of what blockchain is in the first place.
What is blockchain?
Despite being one of the hottest technologies today, sadly there is no clear definition for Blockchain (one of the strange sides of technology), however, here we’ve gathered information to explain the technology in a simple way as possible.
Blockchain is widely used to enable bitcoin (digital currency, also known as cryptocurrency) storage and transaction online. Basically, it’s a distributed digital ledger which is designed to help users to safely and securely carry out online transactions of digital currencies. Which tells us that the fundamental duty of blockchain is to offer security while transacting online.
One of the key features of the Blockchain is that it allows users to perform online transactions without the use of any third parties.
Blockchain and Mobile apps
Whether if Blockchain is an ideal security solution to your app or not thoroughly depends upon which aspect of Blockchain you prefer to use. To simplify it further, if the functionalities of your app is similar to that of bitcoin then Blockchain might be a good bet. However, it doesn’t mean that any app which deals with online money transaction can blindly rope in Blockchain technology.
Just like any other technology Blockchain too has its own sets of challenges and security benefits. Here are some of the factors to consider before you decide to adopt Blockchain technology as a protection to your mobile application.
Blockchain: What you need to know
Developing & testing distributed applications can be harder
Testing and debugging apps can be a painstaking task. When you encounter bugs like ‘mandelbugs’, ‘heisenbugs’ and ‘schrodingbugs’, especially on a distributed applications, it can turn out to be a nightmare. Developing, testing and debugging applications on distributed network is much harder and more expensive than doing it on a non-distributed, single computer. So, be prepared to encounter these issues while working on distributed platform like Blockchain.
Legality
Legal framework is crucial, especially when dealing with currency transaction. Blockchain, particularly in reference with bitcoin, does not have the same level of legal framework as does transactions related to bank accounts. Validating data could be a challenge. If you are developing an app that needs a solid legal framework, it calls for a deeper research on Blockchain’s legal structure and then decide.
Learn more about the platforms
There are a wide range of Blockchain platforms available. For any developer who wants to build apps using Blockchain technology needs to first wet his feet with these platforms. Here are some of the popular ones: Eris, MultiChain, OpenChain, HydraChain, OpenZeppelin, Ethereum, Quorum, Stellar, Chain Core, Corda, Lisk, Credits, Domus Tower Blockchain and several more. Check out these platforms and then decide which will work best for your app.
Security Features of Blockchain
First off, formulating a security framework for an app depends on the kind of data it handles and how that data is being distributed. Since Blockchain technology’s core function is facilitating online currency transaction through its ledger mechanism, experts have been trying to rope in blockchain technology into the mobile app arena and leverage its security features.
Here are some of the blockchain security features which could help in protecting mobile apps against cyber threats.
Protecting Brand Infrastructure
With Blockchain in the fold mobile app owners have the benefit of moving their core aspects of the brand infrastructure to a decentralized platform. By storing the app’s DNS entries on Blockchain, app owners will have a distributed and transparent DNS where the domain records are firmly under their control. This makes highly difficult for others to tamper, manipulate, or misuse entries.
Identity Protection
Working on a decentralized public database platform makes modification or hacking difficult. And, it is said that, by assigning private key encryptions to the users who work on the cryptography makes misusing information even more difficult or almost impossible.
Cutting the need of passwords
Blockchain-specific SSL certificates on a decentralized network facilitates in creating an consensus between parties for authentication. With this type of authentication of users and devices in place, it is needless to have passwords. The decentralized and distributed network of this type verifies and authenticates every transaction made, making data breach extremely difficult.
Data transparency and protection
Experts say that it is impossible to breach information on Blockchain due to its nature of giving a direct source of transaction publicly. Every data that entered in Blockchain becomes sort of a general knowledge. And by providing direct access to the reports for all the involved parties, Blockchain also brings in data transparency.
Final thoughts
As Blockchain being the power behind secure bitcoin transactions, its natural that other development areas would tap into that power to improve their efficiency. Now that developers are figuring out a way to leverage blockchain technology mobile apps, it is hard to tell what would be the upshot of this collaboration of technologies.
Since the idea of using Blockchain to secure mobile apps is relatively new, looks like only a deep trial-and-error method can shed some light on it.
