Application Developers — Application developers
should ensure that their apps abide by the policies
governing secure coding and privacy and do not
access unnecessary information. Then it would be
difficult for malware that exploits the security
weaknesses of another app to launch attacks. For
example, developers can use a unique identifier
instead of the IMEI number. Also, sensitive information
stored locally or sent to remote servers
should be encrypted. If third-party libraries are
used in the development of apps, they should be
vetted by appropriate mechanisms.
Moreover, while Android apps have about
100 built-in permissions that control operations
such as dialing the phone and sending short
messages, the use of such permissions should be
minimized. For example, an app should not ask
for full Internet access permission unless it is
essential for it to work properly. Since smartphone
users generally just use the default settings,
careful use of built-in permissions by
application developers is particularly important.
Furthermore, application developers may provide
add-on security services to complement the
weaknesses of the devices or resist the attacks
from malware.