How to use TLS/SSL Certificate Signature Hardening in Android & iOS Apps Using AI
In order to prevent certificate modification by man-in-the-middle attacks or otherwise, certificates are generally signed. Most certificates are hashed using a hashing algorithm to produce a fingerprint, which is then encrypted using the CA’s private key.
Appdome’s Certificate Signature Hardening protects all your application connections and enforces strong encryption methods such as RSA and ECC on each certificate signature.
This Knowledge Base article provides step-by-step instructions for using Appdome to enforce Certificate Signature Hardening on any Android and iOS mobile app
We hope you find it useful and enjoy using Appdome!
What Is SSL/TLS Certificate Signature Hardening?
SSL/TLS Certificate Signature Hardening involves strengthening the process by which digital certificates are signed to prevent tampering or modification during man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks. Certificates are typically signed by certificate authorities (CAs) using cryptographic algorithms such as RSA or ECC to create a secure signature. This process ensures the certificate’s integrity by hashing the certificate data and encrypting the result with the CA’s private key. Attackers often try to modify or forge certificates in MiTM attacks to intercept sensitive data exchanged between mobile apps and servers. By hardening the certificate signing process, developers ensure that only certificates with valid, secure signatures are trusted by the app. By hardening certificate signatures, developers protect sensitive app data, enabling secure communications that align with compliance standards, such as GDPR, which demand secure data transmission.
How Appdome Protects Mobile Apps with Certificate Signature Hardening?
Appdome’s dynamic Certificate Signature Hardening plugin protects mobile app connections by enforcing strong encryption methods, such as RSA and ECC, on each certificate signature. This ensures that only certificates with secure, valid signatures are trusted, preventing MiTM attackers from modifying certificates or intercepting data. Mobile developers can use Appdome’s Threat-Events™ to gather data on certificate signature tampering attempts and create a customized user experience when such threats are detected, further strengthening app security.
Prerequisites for using Certificate Signature Hardening
- Appdome account
- Appdome-DEV access
- Mobile App (.ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android)
- Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)
How to Enforce Certificate Signature Hardening to Any Mobile App on Appdome
Follow these step-by-step instructions to enforce Certificate Signature Hardening:
Upload a Mobile App to Your Account
Please follow these steps to add a mobile app to your Appdome account.
If you don’t have an Appdome account, click here to create an account.
From the “Build” tab, go to the Security menu.
- Click Secure Communications to expand the bundle
- Click on the toggle to enable Trusted Session
- Expand Session Management.
- Toggle the Enforce Strong RSA Signature switch
(optional) Fill out the custom message that is displayed in case of a security event. - Toggle the Enforce Strong ECC Signature switch
(optional) Fill out the custom message that is displayed in case of a security event. - Toggle the Enforce SHA256 Digest switch
(optional) Fill out the custom message that is displayed in case of a security event. - (optional) Enable Threat Events if you wish that your app will handle Appdome events.
- Click Build My App
The technology behind Build My App has two major elements – (1) a microservice architecture filled with 1000s of code sets needed for mobile integrations, and (2) an adaptive code generation engine that can recognize the development environment, frameworks and methods in each app and match the app to the relevant code-sets needed to add MicroVPN to the mobile app in seconds.
Congratulations! You now have a mobile app fully integrated with Certificate Signature Hardening
What to do After I Build My App?
After you successfully build an app, you need to sign the app in order to deploy it. You can also brand or customize an app on Appdome. Read this Knowledge Base article to learn what to do after you successfully build an app. It explains both optional steps and required steps.
That is it – Enjoy Appdome with Certificate Signature Hardening in your app!
How Do I Learn More?
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!
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