ID: IRCNE2013021771
Date: 2013-02-23
According to “ITPro”, IBM has launched new software to help developers secure code and data in iPhone and iPad apps.
AppScan Source 8.7 for iOS searches through app code and alerts developers when it finds flaws.
The software also analyses apps that employees may want to use on Apple devices for vulnerabilities and alerts IT security staff to potential threats.
Big blue said the software would improve security without sacrificing the time to market for mobile apps.
Citing Gartner figures, IBM said more than 45.6 billion mobile apps were downloaded in 2012, which is why securing smartphones and other endpoint devices should be a top priority for organisations.
IBM developed AppScan Source by looking at over 40,000 mobile APIs for iOS apps using Apple’s iOS Software Development Kit. These API profiles have been added to the IBM AppScan Source Security Knowledgebase and tied to the analysis engine.
The software also features complete language support for Objective-C, JavaScript and Java and includes the ability to do call and data flow analysis that will generate trace information. This new capability enables organisations to build secure enterprise mobile apps, regardless of technology choice, for employees and partners.
One of the companies that has been trying out AppScan Source for IOS is mobile technology firm KiwiTech. Rakesh Gupta, chief executive of KiwiTech, said his firm had developed hundreds of apps for iOS and Android and as the risk from mobile malware and data leakage grows, “our customers are looking for ways to secure their iOS and Android apps and protect corporate data.” Gupta said the software would help his company “proactively secure mobile apps and automate security testing to ensure our customers can keep pace with constant updates."
Caleb Barlow, director of Application, Data and Mobile Security at IBM, said the new capability would help clients incorporate “security into their infrastructure and solutions from the design, development and testing phases rather than leaving security to become an afterthought.”
AppScan Source for iOS will be available from 25 March. IBM launched its AppScan range of products in 2008, following the $2.1 billion acquisition of Rational Software. It has previously launched a version of the software that scans Android apps.
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