How to Use Session Headers in Mobile Bot Defense

Learn to Validate Session Headers in Android apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

What are Session Headers?

In the context of mobile app security, session headers play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety and integrity of user sessions. Their fundamental purpose is to provide a robust security layer that assists in accurately identifying and assessing the security status of each session within a mobile application. This functionality is essential for distinguishing between sessions that are secure and those that are potentially compromised or at risk.

The use of session headers enhances an app’s defense mechanisms against sophisticated cyber threats, such as session replay attacks. By implementing session headers, an application can maintain a vigilant check on the security of its data transmissions, ensuring that the communication between the app and its server remains secure and trustworthy.

How Does Appdome Implement Session Headers?

Appdome’s Session Headers employs a multi-layered approach with application fingerprinting to guarantee not only a tamper-proof payload but also to enhance the WAF’s ability to thwart session replay attacks. This structure offers the WAF insight into the security status of the device running the protected app. Moreover, the WAF can obtain data on threats identified by the protected app and can accurately differentiate between attacks coming from various devices.

Safe Session: Represents sessions that are determined to be safe or not at risk of any threat.

At Risk Session: Represents sessions that are potentially under threat or have detected anomalies.

Payload Signing Key: The public key that Appdome uses to encrypt the payload.

Prerequisites for Using Session Headers:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Validate Session Headers , you’ll need:

• Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
• A license for Session Headers
• Mobile App (.apk or .aab for Android)
• Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)

Validate Session Headers on Android apps using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Validate Session Headers without an SDK or gateway:

1. Upload the Mobile App to Appdome.

   1. Upload an app to Appdome’s Mobile App Security Build System

   2. Upload Method: Appdome Console or DEV-API
   3. Android Formats: .apk or .aab
   4. Session Headers Compatible With: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps

2. Build the feature: Session Headers.

   1. Building Session Headers by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Session Headers feature as shown below:
      

      Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Session Headers feature
      Note: Naming the Fusion Set to correspond to the protection(s) selected is for illustration purposes only (not required).

      2. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Session Headers feature via Appdome Console, to add the Session Headers feature to this Fusion Set.

      3. 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).

      4. 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:

         1. Build an API for the app – for instructions, see the tasks under Appdome API Reference Guide
         2. Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository

   2. Building the Session Headers feature via Appdome Console

      To build the Session Headers protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.

      1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Anti Bot Tab > Secure Communication section.

         Like all other options in ONEShield™, Session Headers is turned on by default, as shown below:

         Figure 3: Session Headers option
         Note: The App Compromise Notification contains an easy to follow default remediation path for the mobile app end user. You can customize this message as required to achieve brand specific support, workflow or other messaging.

      2. How: Toggle (turn ON) Session Headers, as shown below.

         Figure 3: Validate Session Headers option

      3. When you select the Session Headers you'll notice that your Fusion Set you created in step 2.1.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Session Headers

         

         Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Session Headers protection

      4. Click Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 3).

   Congratulations!  The Session Headers protection is now added to the mobile app

3. Certify the Session Headers feature in Android Apps.

   After building Session Headers, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Session Headers protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Session Headers protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below:

   Figure 5: Certified Secure™ certificate

   Each Certified Secure™ certificate provides DevOps and DevSecOps organizations the entire workflow summary, audit trail of each build, and proof of protection that Session Headers has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Session Headers and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app