Security Glossary

The idea of "Least Privilege" is pretty straightforward: give users and apps only the bare minimum access they need to get the job done. By limiting these permissions, organisations can seriously limit the fallout from hacked accounts or internal threats. When it comes to mobile apps, this means being stingy with API permissions and device access. If a system or user has more privilege than it needs, it's just opening the door for data leaks and security breaches. Keeping things restricted is the best way to shrink your target. All organisations should implement least privilege security measures as it improves security, simplifies compliance efforts, and reduces the attack surface. It is a foundational concept of modern cybersecurity architecture and secure application development.

Local data protection is the securing, storing, and processing of data stored locally on a device. Protecting local data is essential as mobile devices can be lost, stolen, or compromised, exposing sensitive information. It involves encryption, secure storage practices, access controls, and restricting data exposure through application design. In mobile apps, local data protection ensures that the stored information, such as session data, user preferences, and cached content, remains secure even if the device environment is compromised. Many regulations, act like DPDP Act 2023, mandate that specific data must be stored and processed within local devices to avoid unauthorised access and loss of data.

Local storage encryption is the process of encrypting data stored locally on a device (e.g. app storage, databases, or cache) by transforming it into an unreadable form. It uses cryptographic algorithms like AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and secure key storage mechanisms to encrypt files, databases, or cached data stored on the device. Unencrypted local data can be more easily exposed on compromised or rooted devices, leading to data leakage and privacy risk. In mobile applications, local storage encryption protects sensitive data such as user credentials, tokens, and personal information from being accessed or extracted from the device. Data may be stored in structured formats depending on the storage mechanism used.

Log monitoring is a systematic process of collecting, reviewing, and analysing system & application logs to detect suspicious or abnormal activity. It records real-time events such as login attempts, API requests, configuration changes and runtime alerts. It collects and centralises data from different sources, uses tools to scan logs and detects threats. It creates a dashboard for data visualization and enables the team to find out the exact cause of security events and breaches. In mobile app ecosystems, log monitoring helps identify fraud attempts, repeated tampering, or unusual user behaviour patterns. Effective log monitoring helps in faster incident response, supports security, increases application performance, and ensures security compliance.

Logic manipulation prevention is a security measure to protect an application’s internal workflow and business logic from unauthorised modification or misuse. Attackers analyse application logic to bypass security controls, manipulating transactions, or gaining unauthorised benefits. To prevent logic manipulation, it is important to implement secure APIs, perform regular integrity checks, enforce strict server-side validation, and use runtime protection. In mobile apps, logic manipulation can be used to bypass payment flows, modify pricing logic, or abuse reward systems.