#mobile app pentesting

Today, we live in a hyperconnected digital world, and it is the e-commerce apps that have transformed the way people shop, pay, and interact with brands. The outcome? It attracts millions of users every day. At the same time, the same convenience makes these platforms a prime target for cybercriminals. From data breaches and payment fraud to insecure APIs and poor authentication mechanisms, e-commerce applications often face a wide range of security challenges.

Here, in this article, we have explored the most common vulnerabilities in e-commerce apps and explained how mobile app testing plays a vital role in dealing with these threats. 

The Growing Cyber Threat Landscape in E-Commerce

In the last decade, the global e-commerce industry has witnessed explosive growth. Millions of transactions happen every hour, and they result in a constant exchange of sensitive data such as credit card information, personal addresses, and login credentials across networks. And the bad news is that this leads to more opportunities to exploit weaknesses in poorly secured applications.

Just a single vulnerability? But it can lead to heavy losses, such as compromising thousands of accounts, damaging a brand’s reputation, and resulting in heavy financial losses. Also, according to studies, more than 60% of retail and e-commerce organizations have faced at least one cyberattack in the past year.

What is the root cause? It often lies in insecure mobile app development, misconfigured APIs, weak data encryption, and the lack of robust penetration testing practices.

Common Vulnerabilities in E-Commerce Applications

1. Insecure Authentication and Session Management

Predictable session IDs or insufficient session timeouts are the most common flaws exploited by attackers. And once inside, they can impersonate legitimate users. Next, they access sensitive account details or perform unauthorized transactions. 

2. SQL Injection (SQLi)

Next comes the SQL Injection, and it remains one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities across all web and mobile applications. And when it comes to e-commerce systems, this occurs when user inputs (like search bars or login forms) are not properly sanitized. This, in turn, allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. The impact of this is that the hackers can retrieve confidential customer data and manipulate product listings. They can even delete entire databases.

3. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

What happens when users visit infected pages? To understand this, first you need to understand how XSS vulnerabilities allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into a trusted e-commerce website. And when these scripts execute in their browsers, they steal cookies, payment data, or login credentials.

For instance, a malicious script can redirect users to a fake payment gateway that looks identical to the original. The outcome? The attacker gets access to their credit card details.

4. Insecure APIs

Talking about the most modern e-commerce apps, they rely on APIs for data exchange between servers, payment gateways, and third-party services. But the thing is, critical vulnerabilities are exposed due to insecure APIs with poor authentication or data validation. The consequences of such insecure APIs? The attackers can exploit these APIs to access private user data, manipulate prices, or intercept transaction details. 

How Mobile App Testing Helps Secure E-Commerce Platforms

Mobile app testing, or to be more precise, ‘security testing’, helps in both identifying and addressing vulnerabilities. And they perform these steps even before they can be exploited. That’s great, right? This is the reason comprehensive testing is essential. It ensures that both functionality and security go hand-in-hand, protecting user trust and brand reputation.

Have a look at some ways how mobile app testing strengthens e-commerce app security:

1. Static and Dynamic Application Security Testing (SAST & DAST)

Wondering what SAST involves? At first, it analyzes the source code of the app, and that too, without executing it to detect coding flaws like insecure data handling or weak encryption. On the other hand, DAST emulates real-world attacks on a running application. And this helps in uncovering vulnerabilities such as injection flaws, XSS, and authentication loopholes. And when these two, SAST and DAST, come together, it can be a game-changer. How? By providing end-to-end visibility of security risks at both the development and operational levels.

2. Penetration Testing for E-Commerce Apps

Penetration testing is just like cyberattacks, but they are not real. These tests are quite effective in evaluating how well an app can deal with hacking attempts. From uncovering hidden weaknesses in APIs and payment systems to user authentication processes, penetration testing can help with all. As organizations perform penetration tests regularly, developers can proactively patch vulnerabilities and strengthen configurations. It can also ensure compliance with data protection laws like PCI DSS and GDPR.

3. API Security Testing

Are you aware of the fact that APIs are the backbone of e-commerce systems? Yes, they are, and so API testing is essential. It helps in verifying that endpoints are properly authenticated, encrypted, and resistant to parameter tampering or injection attacks. This type of testing is crucial to ensure that no unauthorized entity can manipulate backend systems or access restricted data.

4. Performance and Load Testing

Is security just about preventing hacks? No, it is not. It also includes maintaining app stability during high traffic periods, such as flash sales or festive seasons. Here comes the need for load testing. Why? Because it plays a crucial role in identifying how the app behaves under stress. This prevents system crashes that could lead to downtime and financial losses.

Conclusion

Finally, as we are aware that we live in a time where e-commerce is the heartbeat of the global retail economy, can you treat security as an afterthought? No, you can’t; it is non-negotiable. Vulnerabilities can jeopardize both business and customer trust, and so, it is the need of the hour to treat vulnerabilities like SQL injection, XSS, insecure APIs, and weak authentication mechanisms in the most effective way.