How to choose the right tech stack for building a secure mobile app?

Picking the right technologies significantly affects your mobile app's security and performance. The tech stack you choose greatly affects how secure, scalable, and efficient your mobile app will be. The right combination of frameworks, programming languages, and security tools can help you build an app that performs well and stands strong against cyber threats.

With evolving threats and stricter compliance rules, choosing the right tools early on can prevent major headaches later.

In this guide, we’ll explain what to look for in a secure tech stack, share best practices for avoiding common security risks, and explore the essential tools for building a rock-solid mobile app.

Did you know?

A recent study estimates that a whopping 70% of all internet fraud can be traced to mobile devices. Meanwhile, another study says that rogue or insecure mobile apps are behind one in five global hacks.

Why should you care about the right tools for app development?

Shortcuts lead to vulnerabilities. You cannot and should not cut corners with your mobile app development tech stack.

Security must be woven into every stage of mobile app development, from architecture to coding to post-release monitoring. And choosing the right tools and frameworks sets the foundation for a secure application. So, let’s look at how to choose the right tech stack for building a secure mobile app.

This guide will walk you through the essential tech stack and tools needed to build and maintain secure applications at each stage of the mobile DevOps pipeline.

How to choose the right tech stack for developing secure mobile apps?

To build a mobile app from scratch, here are the essential tools you will need to get started:

When mobile app security is concerned, your tech stack should consist of these components:

Secure development platform

Building your mobile app on a development platform with built-in security features can help eliminate 90% of security vulnerabilities.

Source code encryption

Without encryption, your app source code could be vulnerable to reverse engineering and tampering. Code encryption is a must-have for your app development tech stack.

Secure data in transit and at rest

Use SSL or VPN to encrypt your data transmission. Implement file-level or database encryption for secure data storage.

Use up-to-date cryptography techniques

Employ the latest and most robust cryptography standards when building your mobile app.

High-level authentication

Enforce user authentication policies that require strong passwords paired with multi-factor authentication or biometric methods.

Use a credential management system

Store sensitive data, such as credentials, in a credential management tool and minimize or eliminate the storage of sensitive data locally.

Penetration testing

Secure your mobile app using a penetration testing tool that simulates attacks against it. This will help you identify and fix vulnerabilities.

However, as the complexity and frequency of security threats to mobile apps continue to evolve at an unprecedented pace, enterprises are increasingly adopting the DevSecOps approach to building and shipping mobile apps. This dictates how enterprises build their tech stack to develop secure mobile apps. 

Development stage

The road to mobile app security hell is paved with app developers' good intentions. Under pressure to ship apps faster, developers often prioritize functionality and speed over security. It may not be an exaggeration to say that a security threat could lurk behind every line of code. 

As you start building your mobile app, you need to lay down a secure foundation at the very beginning. And that’s why securing your mobile app needs to begin in the development phase. 

How the right tools can protect against development stage vulnerabilities?

In 2019, hardcoded AWS credentials were discovered in the source code of Uber’s mobile app. This could have exposed Uber’s AWS infrastructure to attackers if left unchecked. Luckily, though, Uber’s security researchers found this vulnerability well before it could be exploited. 

But even if you do not have an in-house team of security researchers, a tool like GitGuardian can detect secrets in your app source code, like hardcoded credentials, by 

(a) Continuously scanning public and private code repositories for hardcoded secrets and 

(b) Automatically scanning each new code branch before a commit using pre-commit hooks.

Recommended tools

Appknox pro tip: A SAST scan on a stripped-down, modified app binary at the development stage might overlook vulnerabilities that can slip through to the later stages of the pipeline. A mobile-first, binary-based SAST scan ensures a comprehensive security vulnerability test.

Besides, deploying a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) solution helps you build an inventory of all software components used in your application. Having an inventory of components helps you check publicly available databases such as CVE or GSA for known vulnerabilities so you can 

(1) Take appropriate measures to mitigate the threats and 

(2) Look for suitable replacements for components with known vulnerabilities.

Build stage

At the build stage, your code becomes a deployable mobile application. The security measures at this stage can differentiate between shipping a secure mobile application and delivering an app with vulnerabilities to your users. 

This is not where you cut corners on security. You need to check every component, configuration, and dependency. 

That’s where modern building tools come in. They act as your mobile app’s security squad, scanning for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.

How the right tools can protect against build-stage vulnerabilities

In one of the largest security breaches ever, the MyFitnessPal nutrition app (owned by sportswear giant Under Armour) was hacked in February 2018. A build server compromise allowed hackers to insert malicious code into the app's production build, which gave them (unauthorized) access to the personal data of 150 million users - usernames, email IDs, and encrypted passwords. 

The insertion of such unauthorized code could have been prevented if the MyFitnessPal mobile app security team had used the Jenkins security plugin and enforced signed builds as part of the overall CI/CD security setup.

Recommended tools

Appknox pro tip: Testing your mobile app on real devices helps you replicate real-world interactions with it. This gives you accurate insights into potential security vulnerabilities in your mobile app compared to testing on emulators.

Testing stage

The testing stage is the last major security checkpoint before your mobile app goes into production. Testing goes beyond ensuring that your app’s features work as they should—proving that the security measures you have implemented are effective against real-world threats. 

And that’s why, in the testing stage, you need to think like an attacker to try and uncover any vulnerabilities that might have slipped through from earlier stages. Security testing tools help you do exactly that - by simulating real-world attacks against your application while it is running, they expose the weaknesses in your mobile app’s security measures.

How the right security testing tools can protect against vulnerabilities in the testing stage

When the United Kingdom’s NHS rolled out its COVID-19 Contact Tracing app in 2020, security researchers flagged multiple security flaws. These included storing unencrypted user data locally on mobile devices, which could be abused for malicious purposes, and a vulnerability that allowed attackers to steal encryption keys to send bogus transmissions.

Conducting comprehensive testing using a tool like Appknox would have identified these issues before release, helping avoid expensive and time-consuming patches and updates.

Recommended tools

Appknox pro tip: In a mobile-first world where BYOD policies are increasingly common, enterprises need to evolve their cybersecurity approach from ‘Trust but verify’ to ‘Never trust, verify,’ i.e., adopt a zero-trust security model.

Deployment stage

Deployment is the ultimate litmus test when theory is finally put into practice. Your secure application needs an equally secure deployment pipeline to reach production. And that’s why, in the deployment stage, the focus is on maintaining security through automation and infrastructure hardening. This ensures that the app that reaches production is precisely what you intended to deploy.

How the right security testing tools can protect against vulnerabilities in the deployment stage

In the run-up to Christmas in 2024, attackers used stolen API tokens and customer keys from a data breach at LastPass in 2022 to steal over $5.6 million in cryptocurrency from over 40 wallet app accounts. 

Such API endpoint vulnerabilities could have been identified and resolved by regularly scanning app containers using a tool like Docker Scout and enforcing proper infrastructure security.

Recommended tools

Appknox pro tip: While container and orchestration tools have built-in security features, never run them with their default settings. Always configure the tool to suit your business context to get the maximum benefit.

Release stage

The release stage is your final opportunity to validate security before your app reaches users. This crucial checkpoint ensures your application meets platform security requirements and adheres to your security standards. 

With automated security validation tools, you can confidently release updates knowing they've passed rigorous security checks.

How the right tools can protect against vulnerabilities in the release stage

Early in 2024, a fake app impersonating a cryptocurrency wallet app (rabby.io) bypassed Apple’s App Store review process. Unsuspecting users installed the app, which appeared at the very top of the search results on the App Store. The counterfeit app tricked users into entering their crypto holdings' seed phrase and private key, only to discover that their life savings were siphoned off just moments later. 

When the scam was revealed, rabby.io informed the public that its official iOS app was still under review. Meanwhile, Apple took four days to remove the fake app from the App Store. By then, hundreds of users who had fallen prey to the scam had already lost an estimated $1.6M. 

Use a store monitoring solution to scan app stores for orphaned app listings and fake apps that your enterprise has no idea about. A thorough scan can also reveal fake app listings that could abuse your brand’s identity to trick users into revealing sensitive data. 

Recommended tools

Appknox pro tip: Automated DAST and API security testing are effective measures to protect your app with additional layers of security before releasing it to the App Store or Play Store.

Optimize

Securing your app does not end when it is released to the app stores. The actual security challenge begins after the app is released. New threats can emerge daily and target your users while running your app on their smartphones. 

The optimization stage acts as your app’s security early warning system. It aims to maintain and improve your app’s security posture by identifying signs of trouble. This involves continuously monitoring your app’s performance and behavior to detect security vulnerabilities, respond effectively, and protect your users against breaches and/or exploitation. 

Recommended tools

Appknox pro tip: To maintain a consistent security posture for your mobile app through its entire lifecycle, enterprises need to complement their DevSecOps pipeline (i.e., securing dev to release) with RASP or runtime application self-protection (securing the app in runtime).

In conclusion

If you are responsible for building mobile apps at an enterprise or in charge of app security, here’s a news flash: there is no silver bullet solution to building and shipping a secure mobile application. 

Securing your mobile DevOps pipeline or the develop-to-deploy lifecycle requires a holistic approach to security that encompasses the following:

• Adopting security-aware human behavior, 
• Creating security-first processes, and 
• Building a robust tech stack spanning across stages of the DevOps pipeline.

To realize the optimal ROI, implementing the tech stack needs to be a company-wide exercise that leads to a tighter integration between development, security, and operations teams. This makes security everyone’s responsibility and ensures that the entire organization prioritizes security right from the outset —not just as an afterthought. That way, your user data stays safe, and your reputation remains intact.

How can Appknox help?

When you partner with Appknox, you get a comprehensive and fully integrated suite of security testing solutions. Instead of implementing separate point solutions for SAST, DAST, API security testing, penetration testing, and mobile app security testing - you can simplify your tech stack by implementing the Appknox unified security testing platform. 

Schedule a conversation with a security consultant at Appknox to secure your mobile DevOps pipeline today!

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