Developers today more than ever are facing the challenge of outside attackers infiltrating their apps. Whether the app is brought to life using experienced professional developers or low-code developers, in today’s digital zeitgeist, extra protection is always essential. 

App security is an important aspect of the development process that can too often be overlooked by experienced developers and low-code developers alike. In a webinar with Digital.ai, Mike Woodward, application protection product owner at Digital.ai discussed the importance of embedding added security into different apps in order for them to be fully protected out in the wild. Woodward said of the importance of an app protection plan:

“When you give an app to a user… you’re giving them a working example of how to use your API’s, how to access that back-end data. And that’s not a very good thing unless you do something to protect your apps and your data from people who are going to… try to look for vulnerabilities.”

It used to be that protecting the internal network supporting your app was enough; however, in today’s day and age, apps are produced with the need to communicate with data sources in the cloud. This, in turn, if not taken into account, can lead to a vulnerability and an open door for attackers to exploit.

By incorporating an added level of protection against these attacks, such as with Digital.ai’s low-code tool Essential or Premium App Protection, developers can better understand the attacks being waged against their application and, therefore, react accordingly. Once an attack is detected on your app, it’s only a matter of time before the threat level escalates and back-end data becomes compromised. This type of added security helps to fill the gaps in the cycle from development to adapting and responding to certain attacks and threats of varying degrees.

This protection software also has the ability to detect where the attack is coming from and can block that user from accessing the app in the future. This ensures the integrity and safety of your app for other users. Of course, the level of protection needed is a sliding scale based on the societal value and impact of your app. According to Woodward, the most important apps to protect would be those involved in the medical and banking field because they have a direct and serious impact on the lives of their users.