How to Enforce Strong ECC Signature in iOS Apps
Learn to Enforce Strong ECC Signature in iOS apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.
What is Certificate Signature Hardening??
When connecting with remote services, the remote service authenticates its identity by using a certificate chain, namely: a list of certificates, which usually starts with the end-entity certificate (aka leaf certificate), followed by the less important certificates, also known as intermediate or CA certificates. To prevent certificate modification by man in the middle attacks or otherwise, certificates are generally signed. Most certificates are hashed by using a hashing algorithm to produce a fingerprint, which is then encrypted by using the private key issued by the Certificate Authority (CA).
Appdome’s Certificate Signature Hardening protects all your application connections and enforces strong encryption and hashing methods such as RSA, ECC, and SHA-256 on each certificate signature.
Why do Developers Need to Enforce Strong ECC Signature?
Until a few years ago, most certificates relied on the SHA1 hashing function, which is now obsolete and considered insecure. Most security professionals and reputed security organizations now recommend SHA-2, which has a significantly stronger key strength.
Instead of relying on the strength of the private key issued by the Certificate Authority, which can use SHA1 or even less secure hashing functions, Appdome’s Certificate Signature Hardening protects all your application connections and enforces strong encryption and hashing methods such as RSA, ECC, and SHA-256 on each certificate signature in the certificate chain.
This article provides instructions for enforcing server certificate signatures to use Elliptic-Curve Cryptography (ECC) key with a size of at least 256 bits.
Prerequisites for Using Enforce Strong ECC Signature :
To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Enforce Strong ECC Signature , you’ll need:
- Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
- A license for Enforce Strong ECC Signature
- Mobile App (.ipa for iOS)
- Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)
Enforce Strong ECC Signature on iOS apps using Appdome
On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending iOS Apps that Enforce Strong ECC Signature without an SDK or gateway:
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Upload the Mobile App to Appdome.
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Upload an app to Appdome’s Mobile App Security Build System
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Upload Method: Appdome Console or DEV-API
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iOS Formats: .ipa
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Enforce Strong ECC Signature Compatible With: Obj-C, C+, Java, Swift, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and more
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Build the feature: Enforce Strong ECC Signature .
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Building Enforce Strong ECC Signature by using Appdome’s DEV-API:
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Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature as shown below:
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Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature via Appdome Console, to add the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature to this Fusion Set.
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Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set, as shown in Figure 1 above, and get the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below):
Figure 2: Fusion Set Detail Summary
Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory). -
Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, App Center, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Cirlce CI or other system:
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Build an API for the app – for instructions, see the tasks under Appdome API Reference Guide
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Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository
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Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature
Note: Naming the Fusion Set to correspond to the protection(s) selected is for illustration purposes only (not required). -
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Building the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature via Appdome Console
To build the Enforce Strong ECC Signature protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.
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Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Security Tab > Secure Communication section.
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When you select the Enforce Strong ECC Signature you'll notice that your Fusion Set you created in step 2.1.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Enforce Strong ECC Signature
Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Enforce Strong ECC Signature protection
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Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Enforce Strong ECC Signature :
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Threat-Events™ OFF > In-App Defense
If the Threat-Events™ setting is cleared (not selected). Appdome will detect and defend the user and app by enforcing Enforce Strong ECC Signature .
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Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection
When this setting is used, Appdome detects the use of a weak certificate signature and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence to the app’s business logic for processing, enforcement, and user notification. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see section Using Threat-Events™ for Enforce Strong ECC Signature Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
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Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense
When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Strong ECC Signature (same as Appdome Enforce) and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence the app’s business logic for processing. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see section Using Threat-Events™ for Enforce Strong ECC Signature Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
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Click Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 3).
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Congratulations! The Enforce Strong ECC Signature protection is now added to the mobile app -
Using Threat-Events™ for Strong ECC Signature Intelligence and Control in iOS Apps
Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Strong ECC Signature is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for Strong ECC Signature in iOS Apps, use AddObserverForName in Notification Center, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Strong ECC Signature shown below.
The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Strong ECC Signature are:
| Threat-Event™ Elements | Enforce Strong ECC Signature Method Detail |
|---|---|
| Appdome Feature Name | Enforce Strong ECC Signature |
| Threat-Event Mode | |
| OFF, IN-APP DEFENSE | Appdome detects, defends and notifies user (standard OS dialog) using customizable messaging. |
| ON, IN-APP DETECTION | Appdome detects the attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (app chooses how and when to enforce). |
| ON, IN-APP DEFENSE | Uses Appdome Enforce mode for any attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (gather intel on attacks and threats without losing any protection). |
| Certified Secure™ Threat Event Check | |
| Visible in ThreatScope™ | |
| Developer Parameters for Enforcing Strong ECC Signature Threat-Event™ | |
| Threat-Event NAME | SslInvalidMinECCSignature |
| Threat-Event DATA | reasonData |
| Threat-Event CODE | reasonCode |
| Threat-Event REF | 6801 |
| Threat-Event SCORE | |
| currentThreatEventScore | Current Threat-Event score |
| threatEventsScore | Total Threat-events score |
| Threat-Event Context Keys | |
|---|---|
| message | Message displayed for the user on event |
| externalID | The external ID of the event which can be listened via Threat Events |
| osVersion | OS version of the current device |
| deviceModel | Current device model |
| deviceManufacturer | The manufacturer of the current device |
| fusedAppToken | The task ID of the Appdome fusion of the currently running app |
| kernelInfo | Info about the kernel: system name, node name, release, version and machine. |
| carrierPlmn | PLMN of the device |
| deviceID | Current device ID |
| reasonCode | Reason code of the occured event |
| buildDate | Appdome fusion date of the current application |
| devicePlatform | OS name of the current device |
| carrierName | Carrier name of the current device |
| updatedOSVersion | Is the OS version up to date |
| timeZone | Time zone |
| deviceFaceDown | Is the device face down |
| locationLong | Location longitude conditioned by location permission |
| locationLat | Location latitude conditioned by location permission |
| locationState | Location state conditioned by location permission |
| wifiSsid | Wifi SSID |
| wifiSsidPermissionStatus | Wifi SSID permission status |
| host | The host that failed minimum requirement ECC signature validation |
| DeveventDetailedErrorMessage | Error message |
| extendedMessageText | Extended message |
| certificateCN | Certificate common name |
| certificateSHA1 | Certificate SHA1 |
With Threat-Events™ enabled (turned ON), iOS developers can get detailed attack intelligence and granular defense control in iOS applications and create amazing user experiences for all mobile end users when Strong ECC Signature is detected.
The following is a code sample for native iOS apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Enforce Strong ECC Signature :
let center = NotificationCenter.default
center.addObserver(forName: Notification.Name("SslInvalidMinECCSignature"), object: nil, queue: nil) { (note) in
guard let usrInf = note.userInfo else {
return
}
let message = usrInf["message"]; // Message shown to the user
let reasonData = usrInf["reasonData"]; // Threat detection cause
let reasonCode = usrInf["reasonCode"]; // Event reason code
let currentThreatEventScore = usrInf["currentThreatEventScore"]; // Current threat event score
let threatEventsScore = usrInf["threatEventsScore"]; // Total threat events score
let variable = usrInf["<Context Key>"]; // Any other event specific context key
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
[[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] addObserverForName: @"SslInvalidMinECCSignature" object:nil queue:nil usingBlock:^(NSNotification *org_note) {
__block NSNotification *note = org_note;
dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^(void) {
NSString *message = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"message"]; // Message shown to the user
NSString *reasonData = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"reasonData"]; // Threat detection cause
NSString *reasonCode = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"reasonCode"]; // Event reason code
NSString *currentThreatEventScore = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"currentThreatEventScore"]; // Current threat event score
NSString *threatEventsScore = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"threatEventsScore"]; // Total threat events score
NSString *variable = [[note userInfo] objectForKey:@"<Context Key>"]; // Any other event specific context key
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
});
}];
const { ADDevEvents } = NativeModules;
const aDDevEvents = new NativeEventEmitter(ADDevEvents);
function registerToDevEvent(action, callback) {
NativeModules.ADDevEvents.registerForDevEvent(action);
aDDevEvents.addListener(action, callback);
}
export function registerToAllEvents() {
registerToDevEvent(
"SslInvalidMinECCSignature",
(userinfo) => Alert.alert(JSON.stringify(userinfo))
var message = userinfo["message"] // Message shown to the user
var reasonData = userinfo["reasonData"] // Threat detection cause
var reasonCode = userinfo["reasonCode"] // Event reason code
var currentThreatEventScore = userinfo["currentThreatEventScore"] // Current threat event score
var threatEventsScore = userinfo["threatEventsScore"] // Total threat events score
var variable = userinfo["<Context Key>"] // Any other event specific context key
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
);
}
RegisterReceiver(new ThreatEventReceiver(), new IntentFilter("SslInvalidMinECCSignature"));
class ThreatEventReceiver : BroadcastReceiver
{
public override void OnReceive(Context context, Intent intent)
{
String message = intent.GetStringExtra("message"); // Message shown to the user
String reasonData = intent.GetStringExtra("reasonData"); // Threat detection cause
String reasonCode = intent.GetStringExtra("reasonCode"); // Event reason code
String currentThreatEventScore = intent.GetStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore"); // Current threat event score
String threatEventsScore = intent.GetStringExtra("threatEventsScore"); // Total threat events score
String variable = intent.GetStringExtra("<Context Key>"); // Any other event specific context key
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
}
NSNotificationCenter.DefaultCenter.AddObserver(
(NSString)"SslInvalidMinECCSignature", // Threat-Event Identifier
delegate (NSNotification notification)
{
var message = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("message"); // Message shown to the user
var reasonData = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("reasonData"); // Threat detection cause
var reasonCode = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("reasonCode"); // Event reason code
var currentThreatEventScore = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("currentThreatEventScore"); // Current threat event score
var threatEventsScore = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("threatEventsScore"); // Total threat events score
var variable = notification.UserInfo.ObjectForKey("<Context Keys>"); // Any other event specific context key
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
});
window.broadcaster.addEventListener("SslInvalidMinECCSignature", function(userInfo) {
var message = userInfo.message // Message shown to the user
var reasonData = userInfo.reasonData // Threat detection cause
var reasonCode = userInfo.reasonCode // Event reason code
var currentThreatEventScore = userInfo.currentThreatEventScore // Current threat event score
var threatEventsScore = userInfo.threatEventsScore // Total threat events score
var variable = userInfo.<Context Key> // Any other event specific context key
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
});
xxxxxxxxxximport 'dart:async';import 'package:flutter/material.dart';import 'package:flutter/services.dart';class PlatformChannel extends StatefulWidget { const PlatformChannel({super.key}); State<PlatformChannel> createState() => _PlatformChannelState();}class _PlatformChannelState extends State<PlatformChannel> { static const String _eventChannelName = 'SslInvalidMinECCSignature'; // Replace with your EventChannel name static const EventChannel _eventChannel = EventChannel(_eventChannelName); void initState() { super.initState(); _eventChannel.receiveBroadcastStream().listen(_onEvent, onError: _onError); } void _onEvent(Object? event) { setState(() { // Adapt this section based on your specific event data structure var eventData = event as Map; // Example: Accessing 'externalID' field from the event var externalID = eventData['externalID']; // Customize the rest of the fields based on your event structure String message = eventData['message']; // Message shown to the user String reasonData = eventData['reasonData']; // Threat detection cause String reasonCode = eventData['reasonCode']; // Event reason code String currentThreatEventScore = eventData['currentThreatEventScore']; // Current threat event score String threatEventsScore = eventData['threatEventsScore']; // Total threat events score // Any other event specific context key String variable = eventData['<Context Key>']; }); } // Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)}Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured iOS Apps by using Enforce Strong ECC Signature . There is no SDK and no library to code or implement in the app and no gateway to deploy in your network. All protections are built into each app and the resulting app is self-defending and self-protecting.
Releasing and Publishing Mobile Apps with Enforce Strong ECC Signature
After successfully securing your app by using Appdome, there are several available options to complete your project, depending on your app lifecycle or workflow. These include:
- Customizing, Configuring & Branding Secure Mobile Apps
- Deploying/Publishing Secure mobile apps to Public or Private app stores
- Releasing Secured Android & iOS Apps built on Appdome.
Related Articles:
- How to Prevent abuse of Android AccessibilityService for compromising Android apps
- Check out the Appdome Mobile Games Protection solution page or request a demoat any time.
If you have any questions, please send them our way at support.appdome.com or via the chat window on the Appdome platform.
Thank you!
Thanks for visiting Appdome! Our mission is to secure every app on the planet by making mobile app security easy. We hope we’re living up to the mission with your project.
