App Developers: Protect Your Source Code Before It’s Too Late!

Your app doesn’t exist without your source code. That’s the bottom line. Your source code is the very basis for everything that your users experience when they log into your app. You would think that keeping such a deeply integral part of your programming under wraps would be considered the highest of priorities. Unfortunately, that’s often not the case, as source code protection is woefully under-recognized as a key element that every developer should hold dear. Especially with so many malicious hackers out there vying to attack your application, there’s no way that any developer should let his or her hard work remain so vulnerable.

What Could Go Wrong

One of the scariest parts of not having source code protection is that your own code could become compromised, meaning that you can no longer trust your own work. When hackers strike, your source code can easily be manipulated and twisted to serve the malicious individuals who snuck into your source code. Once they do, they can cause irreparable damage to your programming that puts your work at risk and jeopardize the safety of your user data as well.

When hackers enter your source code, often its weaknesses are exploited to some nefarious end, and sometimes, new weaknesses are added to the coding to make it easier for others to manipulate your work. Moreover, malicious users may set up a secret access point within your code, make unapproved changes or even steal your source code altogether. Bottom line: any number of terrible fates may await your app if its coding is not protected. So just put the necessary security in place now.

The Basics

While more sophisticated methods exist for you to protect your source code, here’s a quick rundown of some of the simpler ways you can keep your app safer from attack.

• Copyright your app: Few strategies to keeping your source code safe are as straightforward as this one. In recent years, lapsed copyrights and patents are responsible for many companies being left wide open for hackers. Ensure that yours are up to date, since your app’s source coding essentially qualifies as intellectual property.

• Monitor and heavily encrypt data: Swift action is key to minimizing any damage that might occur during a cyber-attack. So it’s best to install a monitoring system to ensure that data remains secure. In addition, be sure to use updated encryption methods to discourage hackers from invading your source code.

• Embrace redundancy: Normally, we encourage you to keep your operation as lean as possible, but when it comes to source code protection, you can never have enough systems in place to keep your app secure. It’s not a bad idea to have alternative measures ready to pick up the slack in case something goes wrong down the line.

• Limit access: Although it sounds like common sense, there’s no reason that an unnecessary number of individuals need access to your source code Keep tabs on who needs access and ensure anyone else is blocked. There’s little reason this sensitive data should be touched by anyone other than high-level team members.

Don’t Wait Another Moment

If for some reason you have yet to acknowledge how important it is to protect your source code at all times, hopefully you now have the knowledge and forewarning you need to take action. We know your app is, in many ways, a labor of love, and we’d hate to see your effort potentially fall prey to a cyber-attack.

With the measures we’ve discussed above, you can begin to guard against hackers and ensure that your source code remains safely out of the wrong hands. All it takes is some dedication upfront, and it could conceivably mean all the difference in the world for your app’s future success.