How to Use Strong RSA signature verification in Android & iOS Apps Using AI
This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Enforce Strong RSA Signature in Mobile apps.
What Are RSA Signatures?
RSA is a trusted cryptographic algorithm used for encryption and authentication in mobile apps. RSA signatures ensure that transmitted data is unaltered and originates from a legitimate source by using a private key to encrypt a secure hash of the message and a public key for verification. If the decrypted signature matches the hash, the message is authenticated. This process safeguards data integrity and prevents forgery or tampering during transmission, addressing risks like unauthorized access and impersonation. Strong RSA signatures are essential for securing financial transactions, healthcare records, and sensitive communications, meeting regulatory standards such as PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR.
How Appdome Protects Mobile Apps with RSA Signatures?
Appdome’s dynamic Strong RSA Signature Verification plugin for Android/iOS ensures robust message authentication by validating RSA signatures at runtime. The plugin verifies the integrity of transmitted data using secure hashing and encryption, blocking attempts to forge or tamper with signatures. This protection ensures compliance with regulatory frameworks such as PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR, safeguarding data integrity and authenticity in financial transactions, healthcare communications, and other sensitive exchanges.
Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Enforce Strong RSA Signature Plugins:
To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Enforce Strong RSA Signature , you’ll need:
- Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
- A license for Enforce Strong RSA Signature
- Mobile App (.ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android)
- Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)
How to Implement Enforce Strong RSA Signature in Mobile Apps Using Appdome
On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Mobile Apps that Enforce Strong RSA Signature without an SDK or gateway:
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Designate the Mobile App to be protected.
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Upload an app via the Appdome Mobile Defense platform GUI or via Appdome’s DEV-API or CI/CD Plugins.
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Mobile App Formats: .ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android
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Enforce Strong RSA Signature is compatible with: Obj-C, Java, JS, C#, C++, Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, and more.
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Select the defense: Enforce Strong RSA Signature.
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Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Enforce Strong RSA Signature feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.
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When you enable Certificate Pinning you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Enforce Strong RSA Signature.
Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Enforce Strong RSA Signature protection
Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory). -
Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set. Copy the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below):
Figure 3: Fusion Set Detail Summary
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Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Circle CI or other system:
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Refer to the Appdome API Reference Guide for API building instructions.
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Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository.
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Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Enforce Strong RSA Signature feature as shown below:Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Enforce Strong RSA Signature feature
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Add the Enforce Strong RSA Signature feature to your security template.
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Navigate to Build > Security tab > Secure Communication section in the Appdome Console.
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Toggle On Certificate Pinning > Enforce Strong RSA Signature.
(a) Choose to monitor this attack vector by checking the Threat Events checkbox associated with Enforce Strong RSA Signature as shown below.
(b) To receive mobile Threat Monitoring, check the ThreatScope™ box as shown below. For more details, see our knowledge base article on ThreatScope™ Mobile XDR.Figure 4: Selecting Enforce Strong RSA Signature
Note: The Appdome Platform displays the Mobile Operation Systems supported by each defense in real-time. For more details, see our OS Support Policy KB. -
Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Enforce Strong RSA Signature:
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Threat-Events™ OFF > In-App Defense
If the Threat-Events™ setting is not selected. Appdome will detect and defend the user and app by enforcing Strong RSA Signature.
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Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection
When this setting is used, Appdome detects the use of a weak certificate signature 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™ to Enforce Enforce Strong RSA Signature Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
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Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense
When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Strong RSA Signature (same as Appdome Enforce) and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence to 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 Enforce Strong RSA Signature Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.
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Configure the User Experience Options for Enforce Strong RSA Signature:
With Threat-Events™ OFF, Appdome provides several user experience options for mobile brands and developers.- App Compromise Notification: Customize the pop-up or toast Appdome uses to notify the user when a threat is present while using the protected mobile app.
- Short message Option. This is available for mobile devices that allow a banner notification for security events.
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Localized Message Option. Allows Appdome users to support global languages in security notifications.
Figure 5: Default User Experience Options for Appdome’s Strong RSA Signature
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Enforce Strong RSA Signature Threat Code™. Appdome uses AI/ML to generate a unique code each time Enforce Strong RSA Signature is triggered by an active threat on the mobile device. Use the code in Appdome Threat Resolution Center™ to help end users identify, find and resolve active threats on the personal mobile devices.
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Congratulations! The Enforce Strong RSA Signature protection is now added to the mobile app -
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Certify the Enforce Strong RSA Signature feature in Mobile Apps
After building Enforce Strong RSA Signature, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Enforce Strong RSA Signature protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Enforce Strong RSA Signature protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below:
Figure 6: 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 Enforce Strong RSA Signature has been added to each Mobile app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Enforce Strong RSA Signature and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.
Using Threat-Events™ for Strong RSA Signature Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps
Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Strong RSA Signature is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for Strong RSA Signature in Mobile Apps, use AddObserverForName in Notification Center, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Strong RSA Signature shown below.
The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Strong RSA Signature are:
Threat-Event™ Elements | Enforce Strong RSA Signature Method Detail |
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Appdome Feature Name | Enforce Strong RSA Signature |
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 Strong RSA Signature Threat-Event™ | |
Threat-Event NAME | SslInvalidMinRSASignature |
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 | |
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message | Message displayed for the user on event |
failSafeEnforce | Timed enforcement against the identified threat |
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. Only available for Android devices. |
deviceID | Current device ID |
reasonCode | Reason code of the occurred event |
buildDate | Appdome fusion date of the current application |
devicePlatform | OS name of the current device |
carrierName | Carrier name of the current device. Only available for Android. |
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 longitude conditioned by location permission |
locationLat | Location latitude conditioned by location permission |
locationState | Location state conditioned by location permission |
wifiSsid | Wifi SSID |
wifiSsidPermissionStatus | Wifi SSID permission status |
threatCode | The last six characters of the threat code specify the OS, allowing the Threat Resolution Center to address the attack on the affected device. |
host | The host that failed minimum requirement RSA signature validation |
DeveventDetailedErrorMessage | Error message |
extendedMessageText | Extended message |
certificateCN | Certificate common name |
certificateSHA1 | Certificate SHA1 |
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 Strong RSA Signature is detected.
The following is a code sample for native Mobile apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Enforce Strong RSA Signature:
Important! Replace all placeholder instances of <Context Key> with the specific name of your threat event context key across all language examples. This is crucial to ensure your code functions correctly with the intended event data. For example, The <Context Key> could be the message, externalID, OS Version, reason code, etc.
xxxxxxxxxx
IntentFilter intentFilter = new IntentFilter();
intentFilter.addAction("SslInvalidMinRSASignature");
BroadcastReceiver threatEventReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
String message = intent.getStringExtra("message"); // Message shown to the user
String reasonData = intent.getStringExtra("reasonData"); // Threat detection cause
String reasonCode = intent.getStringExtra("reasonCode"); // Event reason code
// Current threat event score
String currentThreatEventScore = intent.getStringExtra("currentThreatEventScore");
// Total threat events score
String threatEventsScore = intent.getStringExtra("threatEventsScore");
// Replace '<Context Key>' with your specific event context key
// String variable = intent.getStringExtra("<Context Key>");
// Your logic goes here (Send data to Splunk/Dynatrace/Show Popup...)
}
};
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter, Context.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED);
} else {
registerReceiver(threatEventReceiver, intentFilter);
}
Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Mobile Apps by using Enforce Strong RSA Signature. 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 Strong RSA Signature
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:
- Customizing, Configuring & Branding Secure Mobile Apps.
- Deploying/Publishing Secure mobile apps to Public or Private app stores.
- Releasing Secured Android & iOS Apps built on Appdome.
Related Articles:
How to Enforce Strong ECC Signature in iOS Apps
How to use Secure Certificate Pinning in Android & iOS Apps
How to Enforce SHA-256 Digest in Android & iOS Apps
How Do I Learn More?
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.