App Transport Security: What You Need to Know About Protecting Your App

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App Transport Security: What You Need to Know About Protecting Your App

Introduction

App transport security (ATS) is a security feature that helps protect your app from malicious attacks. It is designed to ensure that the data transmitted between your app and its server is secure and not exposed to any third-party attackers. ATS is enabled by default on all apps running on iOS 9 and later. In this article, we will discuss what ATS is, how it works, and how you can use it to protect your app.

What is App Transport Security?

App transport security (ATS) is a security feature that helps protect your app from malicious attacks. It is designed to ensure that the data transmitted between your app and its server is secure and not exposed to any third-party attackers. When ATS is enabled, it prevents unsecured connections from being established. This means that any connection that does not meet the security requirements set by ATS will be blocked. ATS is enabled by default on all apps running on iOS 9 and later.

How Does App Transport Security Work?

When ATS is enabled, it uses two key technologies to secure the connection between your app and its server: TLS (Transport Layer Security) and HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). TLS is a protocol that is used to encrypt the data that is sent between your app and its server. HTTPS is the secure version of the standard HTTP protocol and is used to establish an encrypted connection between your app and its server.

When ATS is enabled, it requires that all connections use TLS and HTTPS. If any connection does not meet these requirements, then the connection will be blocked. This helps protect your app from malicious attacks as any unsecured connection will not be able to establish a connection with your app.

What Are the Benefits of Using App Transport Security?

Using ATS provides several benefits, including:

  • Increased security: As ATS requires that all connections use TLS and HTTPS, it helps to protect your app from malicious attacks.
  • Improved privacy: By encrypting the data that is sent between your app and its server, ATS helps to ensure that the data remains private and secure.
  • Reduced risk: As ATS blocks any connection that does not meet the security requirements set by ATS, it helps to reduce the risk of any malicious attack.

How Do I Enable App Transport Security?

Enabling ATS is simple and straightforward. All you need to do is add the following code to your app’s Info.plist file:

<key>NSAppTransportSecurity</key>
    <dict>
        <key>NSAllowsArbitraryLoads</key>
        <true/>
    </dict>

This will enable ATS for your app and help ensure that all connections use TLS and HTTPS.

Conclusion

App transport security (ATS) is a valuable security feature that helps protect your app from malicious attacks. It is enabled by default on all apps running on iOS 9 and later and can be easily enabled by adding the code to your app’s Info.plist file. By using ATS, you can help ensure that all connections use TLS and HTTPS and that the data transmitted between your app and its server is secure and not exposed to any third-party attackers.

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