Third of protection
Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2025 8:10 am
ulnerabilities in Russian applications have decreased by almost a third, market participants reported. Currently, 56% of software products contain vulnerabilities of high and highest criticality (a year earlier, there were 83%).
Most services are ivory coast whatsapp resource currently under the gun of hackers, so their owners are forced to work harder on security, experts noted. Security issues can lead to data leaks, outflow of funds and customers, as well as lawsuits.
Russian applications have become safer for users over the past year. For example, the number of service vulnerabilities has decreased by almost a third. In 2022, serious problems were detected in 83% of mobile services, and in 2023 this figure dropped to 56%, according to a study by Stingray Technologies. This platform analyzes the security of applications.
The study was conducted using the "black box" method, meaning that the attacker did not have access to the source code. In this way, experts studied possible vectors and assessed existing problems. Vulnerabilities from several main categories were considered: network interaction, application configuration, storage of keys and certificates, sensitive information, and the use of cryptography.
Aggressive market conditions force developers to hurry to provide customers with the opportunity to continuously use the company's services. Security issues can lead to loss of data and funds, customer outflow and lawsuits, noted the organization's CEO Yuri Shabalin.
Izvestia sent inquiries to the Ministry of Digital Development, as well as to companies developing mobile applications.
According to the analytics of the RuStore app store, the most popular in 2023 in different categories were Sberbank Online, Ozon and 2GIS. Among non-game categories, finance is in the lead - it accounts for about half of the downloads, followed by "useful tools". Third place is shared equally by shopping, entertainment and transport. The top category "finance" - Sberbank Online, Tinkoff and VTB Online, in "useful tools" - Megafon, Mail.ru Mail and My MTS, in shopping - Ozon, Wildberries and Megamarket, in the category "transport" - 2GIS, Yandex Maps and Yandex Go, and in "entertainment" - RUTUBE, Kinopoisk and Yandex.Music.
Safety is not 100%
Today, the Russian market has been partially cut off from the "key" development. Many companies that fell under sanctions were forced to start using their own means of protection. In fact, this is a different direction of development, said Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group.
— All stories about protection are suspicious now, because so-called zero-day vulnerabilities are typical for all markets and developments. Russia is no different from other countries in this regard. Basically, it is not about the quality of work, but about the quality of tools, — the expert said.
According to him, applications can never be 100% protected. There is no list of vulnerabilities. Initially, we must assume that they exist and not everything is known.
— You can try to evaluate the "patches" that companies install. Organizations certainly create special contours, but most use standard security tools. No one makes separate protection for applications, — the expert noted.
Some vulnerabilities become obsolete due to the efforts of operating system (OS) developers: even if an application still contains a vulnerability, it cannot be used in new OS. Sometimes this happens due to app store policies: unsafe code simply will not be allowed to be published, emphasized Nikolai Anisenya, head of the Positive Technologies Advanced Technologies Department. Each OS update brings new opportunities to developers that are still poorly researched by white hat hackers, but after a while, vulnerabilities will be found there too.
TelecomDaily CEO Denis Kuskov agrees with them. If we talk about vulnerabilities, all applications have them. However, the quality of services provided on the market has improved not only in Russia, but also among foreign players, he noted.
According to Vladimir Zykov, Director of the Association of Professional Users of Social Networks and Messengers, everyone used to be only interested in making a profit and optimizing the product, but now this trend has changed — security has become the top priority. Companies are stepping up their protection, including due to fears of hacking, and are creating backup copies.
Most services are ivory coast whatsapp resource currently under the gun of hackers, so their owners are forced to work harder on security, experts noted. Security issues can lead to data leaks, outflow of funds and customers, as well as lawsuits.
Russian applications have become safer for users over the past year. For example, the number of service vulnerabilities has decreased by almost a third. In 2022, serious problems were detected in 83% of mobile services, and in 2023 this figure dropped to 56%, according to a study by Stingray Technologies. This platform analyzes the security of applications.
The study was conducted using the "black box" method, meaning that the attacker did not have access to the source code. In this way, experts studied possible vectors and assessed existing problems. Vulnerabilities from several main categories were considered: network interaction, application configuration, storage of keys and certificates, sensitive information, and the use of cryptography.
Aggressive market conditions force developers to hurry to provide customers with the opportunity to continuously use the company's services. Security issues can lead to loss of data and funds, customer outflow and lawsuits, noted the organization's CEO Yuri Shabalin.
Izvestia sent inquiries to the Ministry of Digital Development, as well as to companies developing mobile applications.
According to the analytics of the RuStore app store, the most popular in 2023 in different categories were Sberbank Online, Ozon and 2GIS. Among non-game categories, finance is in the lead - it accounts for about half of the downloads, followed by "useful tools". Third place is shared equally by shopping, entertainment and transport. The top category "finance" - Sberbank Online, Tinkoff and VTB Online, in "useful tools" - Megafon, Mail.ru Mail and My MTS, in shopping - Ozon, Wildberries and Megamarket, in the category "transport" - 2GIS, Yandex Maps and Yandex Go, and in "entertainment" - RUTUBE, Kinopoisk and Yandex.Music.
Safety is not 100%
Today, the Russian market has been partially cut off from the "key" development. Many companies that fell under sanctions were forced to start using their own means of protection. In fact, this is a different direction of development, said Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group.
— All stories about protection are suspicious now, because so-called zero-day vulnerabilities are typical for all markets and developments. Russia is no different from other countries in this regard. Basically, it is not about the quality of work, but about the quality of tools, — the expert said.
According to him, applications can never be 100% protected. There is no list of vulnerabilities. Initially, we must assume that they exist and not everything is known.
— You can try to evaluate the "patches" that companies install. Organizations certainly create special contours, but most use standard security tools. No one makes separate protection for applications, — the expert noted.
Some vulnerabilities become obsolete due to the efforts of operating system (OS) developers: even if an application still contains a vulnerability, it cannot be used in new OS. Sometimes this happens due to app store policies: unsafe code simply will not be allowed to be published, emphasized Nikolai Anisenya, head of the Positive Technologies Advanced Technologies Department. Each OS update brings new opportunities to developers that are still poorly researched by white hat hackers, but after a while, vulnerabilities will be found there too.
TelecomDaily CEO Denis Kuskov agrees with them. If we talk about vulnerabilities, all applications have them. However, the quality of services provided on the market has improved not only in Russia, but also among foreign players, he noted.
According to Vladimir Zykov, Director of the Association of Professional Users of Social Networks and Messengers, everyone used to be only interested in making a profit and optimizing the product, but now this trend has changed — security has become the top priority. Companies are stepping up their protection, including due to fears of hacking, and are creating backup copies.