A Study of the Security assessment methodology for Android Mobile App

Abstract

Apple iPhone was released on 2007, and Android 1.0 with alpha version was released in November of the same year. After seven years, in 2013, about 50 billion apps were downloaded from Android which tells that the mobile apps users were dramatically increased. Company also have developed and distributed mobile app to provide their service to users. As the number of mobile apps rapidlly increased, many mobile apps are still developed with vulnerability and distributed in markets due to the limitations of security assessment. Hackers usually repackag Apps and distribute the malicious Apps via Appstore or Googleplay in order to infect many devices. In this paper, we selected four mobile app security assessment methodologies. Local government, local private company, global security research institution and global consulting firm’s methodologies were selected. Android-based mobile app security assessment methodology was developed for the security personnel to develop and operate in their organization. Mobile app security assessments methodology consists of 3 areas and 9 sub items and added menu assessments approach. We conducted the assessment using this methodology for the major domestic tele-communication company and found out that the assessment methodology developed for Android mobile app was efficiently assessed without missing any items compared to existing assessment methodologies