How to Enforce SSL TLS Cipher Suites in Android & iOS Apps

Last updated March 6, 2024 by Appdome

Learn to Enforce TLS Cipher Suites in Mobile apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

What are Cipher-Suites?

Cipher suites are complex sets of instructions that dictate how encryption and decryption processes are carried out during client-server communications. These suites encompass a variety of algorithms and protocols, each serving a distinct purpose in the securement of data transmission. The algorithms within a cipher suite manage tasks such as authentication, key exchange, and the encryption/decryption of messages. The process begins with an SSL/TLS handshake, a pivotal phase where the web server and the client (e.g., a mobile app) negotiate the terms of their secure connection. During this handshake, the two parties agree on a mutual cipher suite from those available, setting the stage for a secure HTTPS connection. This agreement ensures that both ends of the communication line can authenticate each other, generate shared keys, and encrypt/decrypt the data being exchanged.

Why Enforce SSL TLS Cipher Suites in Mobile Apps?

Enforcing SSL/TLS cipher suites in mobile apps is crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of data transmitted between the app and servers. These suites ensure that communications are encrypted, making it difficult for unauthorized parties to intercept or decipher sensitive information. By specifying which cipher suites an app can use, developers can avoid outdated or vulnerable encryption algorithms, significantly reducing the risk of data breaches, man-in-the-middle attacks, and other security threats. Moreover, enforcing strong cipher suites helps ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations, protecting both users and organizations from potential legal and financial repercussions.

Appdome’s Enforce Cipher Suites feature scrutinizes the connections established by mobile apps, identifying and blocking any that were made using non-approved cipher specifications. By doing so, it acts as a safeguard, treating such connections as compromised and preventing potential security breaches.

Note: Enforcing cipher suites should only be done for domains located in your network and under your control. Any use outside such domains is strongly inadvisable due to the very high likelihood of MiTM violation in such cases.

Prerequisites for Using Enforce Cipher Suites:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Enforce TLS Cipher Suites , you’ll need:

Enforce TLS Cipher Suites on Mobile apps using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Mobile Apps that Enforce TLS Cipher Suites 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. Mobile App Formats: .ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android
    4. Enforce Cipher Suites Compatible With: Obj-C, C+, Java, JS, C#, C++, Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, and more
  2. Build the feature: Enforce Cipher Suites.

    1. Building Enforce Cipher Suites by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Enforce Cipher Suites feature as shown below:
      2. fusion set that contains Enforce Cipher Suites

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

      3. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Enforce Cipher Suites feature via Appdome Console, to add the Enforce Cipher Suites feature to this Fusion Set.

      4. 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): fusion Set Detail Summary image

        Figure 2: Fusion Set Detail Summary
        Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      5. 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 Enforce Cipher Suites feature via Appdome Console

      To build the Enforce Cipher Suites protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.

      1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Security Tab > Secure Communication section.
      2. When you select the Enforce Cipher Suites 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 Cipher Suites

        Fusion Set applied Enforce Cipher Suites

        Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Enforce Cipher Suites protection

      3. Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Enforce Cipher Suites:
        1. 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 TLS Cipher Suites.

        2. Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection

          When this setting is used, Appdome detects the use of non-approved cipher suites 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 Cipher Suites Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.

        3. Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense

          When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against TLS Cipher Suites (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 Cipher Suites Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.

      4. Optional Configuration with Enforce Cipher Suites:
        1. Cipher Suites File

          Allows providing a text file Provide a text file with the enforced cipher suites.

      5. Click Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 3).
    Congratulations!  The Enforce Cipher Suites protection is now added to the mobile app

Using Threat-Events™ for TLS Cipher Suites Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps

Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when TLS Cipher Suites are detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for TLS Cipher Suites in Mobile Apps, use AddObserverForName in Notification Center, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for TLS Cipher Suites shown below.

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for TLS Cipher Suites are:

Threat-Event™ Elements Enforce TLS Cipher Suites Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name Enforce Cipher Suites
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 TLS Cipher Suites Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME SslIncompatibleVersion
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
deviceBrand Brand of the device
deviceBoard Board of the device
buildUser Build user
buildHost Build host
sdkVersion Sdk version
timeZone Time zone
deviceFaceDown Is the device face down
locationLong Location long
locationLat Location lat
locationState Location state
wifiSsid Wifi SSID
wifiSsidPermissionStatus Wifi SSID permission status
host The host that failed SSL version validation
IncompatibleSslVersion Current SSL version
DeveventDetailedErrorMessage Error message
extendedMessageText Extended message

With Threat-Events™ enabled (turned ON), Mobile developers can get detailed attack intelligence and granular defense control in Mobile applications and create amazing user experiences for all mobile end users when TLS Cipher Suites are detected.

The following is a code sample for native Mobile apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Enforce Cipher Suites:


Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Mobile Apps by using Enforce Cipher Suites. 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 Cipher Suites

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:

Related Articles:

Check this document about cipher-suites from OpenSSL.org.

If you are interested in limiting other aspects of TLS, you should check out how you can Enforce Certificate Roles or Enforce TLS Version.

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.

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