Prevent Logging Attacks in iOS Apps to Prevent Data Leakage

Learn to Prevent Logging Attacks in iOS apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

What is Logging in iOS?

In iOS, logging refers to the practice of recording or storing information about the behavior, actions, or events that occur within an iOS application. Logging is a useful tool for developers to track the execution of their code, diagnose problems, and gather information for debugging purposes. Logging is typically done through a framework or library provided by Apple called API, such as NSLog, or through third-party logging frameworks.

Logging in iOS allows developers to output messages or data to the system console, which can be accessed by using tools such as Xcode’s Console or the Console app in MacOS. Developers can use logging statements to print the values of variables, track the flow of their code, and record important events or errors during the execution of their iOS app.

iOS logging typically includes different levels of logging, such as Verbose, Debug, Info, Warning, and Error, which allow developers to specify the severity of the logged message. This can help filter and manage logs based on their importance or relevance to the debugging process.

Why Prevent Logging Attacks?

The main reasons to prevent the logging of sensitive information in an iOS application, or to be cautious about logging such information, are as follows:

• Privacy and Data Security: Logs may contain sensitive data, such as user-specific information, passwords, API keys, or other personally identifiable information (PII). Storing such sensitive data in logs can pose a security risk, as logs may be accessible to unauthorized users or stored in an unsecured manner. To protect the privacy and security of user data, it is important to avoid logging sensitive information, especially in production environments.
• Information Disclosure and Debugging Risks: Logs can reveal sensitive information about the inner workings of an application that could be exploited by malicious actors for reverse engineering, vulnerability identification, or other unauthorized activities. In addition, logs can contain debugging information or sensitive implementation details that may not be appropriate for production environments. Therefore, limiting the amount and detail of logged information can reduce the risk of non-deliberate information disclosure or potential debugging risks.

Prerequisites for Using Prevent Logging Attacks:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Prevent Logging Attacks , you’ll need:

• Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
• A license for Prevent Logging Attacks
• Mobile App (.ipa for iOS)
• Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)

Prevent Logging Attacks on iOS apps using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending iOS Apps that Prevent Logging Attacks 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. iOS Formats: .ipa
   4. Prevent Logging Attacks Compatible With: Obj-C, C+, Java, Swift, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and more

2. Build the feature: Prevent Logging Attacks.

   1. Building Prevent Logging Attacks by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

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

      Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Prevent Logging Attacks 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 Prevent Logging Attacks feature via Appdome Console, to add the Prevent Logging Attacks 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 Prevent Logging Attacks feature via Appdome Console

      To build the Prevent Logging Attacks protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.

      1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Anti Fraud Tab > Mobile Malware Prevention section.

         Like all other options in ONEShield™, Prevent Logging Attacks is turned on by default, as shown below:

         Figure 3: Prevent Logging Attacks 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) Prevent Logging Attacks, as shown below.

         Figure 3: Prevent Logging Attacks option

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

         

         Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Prevent Logging Attacks protection

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

   Congratulations!  The Prevent Logging Attacks protection is now added to the mobile app

3. Certify the Prevent Logging Attacks feature in iOS Apps.

   After building Prevent Logging Attacks, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Prevent Logging Attacks protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Prevent Logging Attacks 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 Prevent Logging Attacks has been added to each iOS app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Prevent Logging Attacks and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app