Computer Code That Protects Applications and Users from Hacking Attacks

All mobile applications are potential targets for hackers. RASP or Runtime Application Self Protection ensures protection

RASP is an acronym for Runtime Application Self Protection, which translates to: self-protection of the application at runtime (that is, while the application is running and being used). It is a piece of computer code that can be inserted into any mobile application and ensures that the application is protected from various hacking attacks. Protection is ensured by the fact that the specific computer code has built-in detectors that monitor the state of the mobile device and, in case they detect an atypical state of the mobile device (an atypical state is actually a potential threat), allow the application to independently execute a certain protective mechanism. It is important to emphasize that once RASP is embedded in a mobile application, the protection is active and no human activity (either from the end user or the employee/owner of the application) is required for the application to detect a threat and prevent a potential attack.

What It Protects Against and Whom

The types of attacks that RASP detects and prevents are numerous. For example, it is possible to detect that the device on which the application is located has been jailbroken (a situation in which the factory settings of the mobile device have been changed); that a debug/emulator/hook has been connected to the mobile device (programming tools used by developers during application development or for troubleshooting code or by hackers during attempted attacks, which are not standard for use by end users on commercial mobile devices); and it is also possible to detect that screen recording has been activated on the mobile device. When RASP is embedded in a mobile application, it protects not only the company that owns the application but also the end user who uses that specific application. A compromised device on which the application is located can cause harm to both the application owner and the end user, and both parties can suffer damage from the loss of confidential/personal data or, for example, unauthorized withdrawal of funds from a bank account. All mobile applications are potential targets for hacking attacks, but the most frequent targets are those applications that enable end users to conduct financial transactions and contain personal data and access to their financial resources, such as, for example, applications for citizen communication with public administration and their authentication, online betting and cryptocurrency trading applications, clothing and food shopping applications, transportation applications, etc. Identity theft, personal data theft, and hacking attacks in general have increased during the pandemic as digitalization, along with all its benefits, has opened up many more opportunities for attacks. Moreover, a large part of the global population worked from home, which meant that employees had to connect to their companies’ business systems, thus leaving room for hacking attacks if connections from remote locations were not adequately secured.

Asseco RASP

Asseco SEE has been a leader in the security solutions market for years, and it was natural for part of Asseco’s portfolio to become RASP as a product. The domain knowledge about security issues in terms of authentication and identity that Asseco possesses is extremely relevant for the development of such a solution. Furthermore, RASP ideally complements Asseco SEE’s portfolio of security solutions, as it is complementary to existing products. Specifically, a client who already uses the Asseco mToken application for multifactor authentication or mobile banking can easily increase the level of application protection; the entire integration process takes only a few days (for programming teams, this is really efficient). If the client uses an application from another provider, then the integration will require a few more days, but it is also easily achievable.

RASP is a product for which there is no pause in research and development. Hackers continuously work on improving their attack techniques. Therefore, it is essential that a product of this type is continuously developed, as successful attack prevention today can become outdated within a year if the product has not adapted to the latest tools and types of attacks used by hackers. Clearly, this power ratio favors hackers because RASP products follow what hackers do more than the other way around. However, given the years of experience and knowledge that Asseco SEE HR has in this field, there is no doubt that Asseco RASP will continue to be one of the best solutions for detecting and preventing this type of hacking attack in numerous industries in the years to come. 

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