Digital attacks are becoming increasingly destructive, raising significant cybersecurity concerns for businesses. From 2021 to 2022, ransomware attacks increased by 49%, costing companies an average of $4.45 million per data breach. One of the main attack vectors for hackers is software vulnerabilities, and application shielding may be the answer.
The immense cost of data breaches leaves businesses in dire need of application security. Terms such as in-app protection, application hardening, and application shielding have emerged to describe different approaches to safeguarding software. In this article, we will delve into the definitions and distinctions of these terms. But what do they mean, and what are their differences in implementation? This article will provide understanding.
Just as businesses safeguard their physical assets, it is equally important to protect digital assets, applications, and data. Unfortunately, many organizations overlook the catastrophic consequences of data breaches, especially for apps built on open-source code. One study of 1.7 million Android apps found that only about 24% received developer protection.
Leaving code open and vulnerable enables hackers to exploit weaknesses, leading to unauthorized access, data theft, and ransomware attacks. Protecting apps is how developers can mitigate these risks.
In-app protection, application hardening, and application shielding are similar terms that are often conflated in the realm of code security. In some cases, they overlap in practice, as each ultimately accomplishes the same goal: creating secure code that stands up to hackers.
Gartner defined in-app protection as the implementation of security measures within the application itself to defend against various threats. This technique embeds security measures directly into the application to defend against various attack vectors, including obfuscation, tamper detection, anti-debugging, and root detection. By incorporating in-app protection mechanisms, businesses fortify their applications and make it significantly harder for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities.
Gartner defined “app shielding” as a category of technologies that protect applications from attacks and unauthorized access. Still, it’s become a broader term used in cybersecurity to describe the protection of various aspects of an application, not limited to its code. It uses measures such as vulnerability assessments, access controls, secure coding practices, and patch management to minimize attack vectors and strengthen the application’s overall security posture.
While application shielding once referred to specific technologies, it now encompasses a range of app protection techniques, such as cryptographic checks, anti-tampering measures, and runtime integrity checks. The goal of application shielding is to create a resilient application that can withstand sophisticated attacks and deter unauthorized modifications.
Although the above terms can often be conflated, one word stands out with a very clear meaning—obfuscation—and it’s one of the most effective strategies for protecting source code.
Obfuscation is the transformation of code to make it visually illegible and difficult to understand while preserving its functionality. This technique thwarts reverse-engineering attempts, making it difficult for hackers to decipher the code’s logic and inner workings. Some of the main obfuscation techniques include:
No matter what terminology you use, the goal is the same—protect your source code, and PreEmptive is here to be your partner in the process. Our Dotfuscator solution has been the #1 .NET and in-app protection product for 20 years, and we have a range of solutions to secure your applications and mitigate the risks of data breaches.
Take the first step towards protecting your applications from data breaches with PreEmptive obfuscation. Start a free trial today and experience how our powerful tools make it easy to safeguard your code and defend against malicious attacks. Don’t leave your applications vulnerable. Sign up for a free trial today.