14 DAY TRIAL // A Nokia engineer showed recently that Windows Store apps could be cracked in just a few minutes, even though Microsoft initially said that it has taken several measures to prevent this from happening.
Well, it did happen in the end, and Microsoft is now trying to fight back by teaching developers how to create apps that cannot be cracked.
A blog post on the official Windows 8 app developer blog shows the best security practices for building Windows Store apps, with devs advised to compile apps with Visual Studio 2012 and to minimize app capabilities. In addition, you should use the file picker instead of library capabilities, Microsoft said in the post.
Last but not least, developers should block the web from accessing WinRT and validating files, protocols and imported data.
“Windows 8 and Visual Studio 2012 provide a set of APIs, controls, and tools to minimize possible app vulnerabilities and mitigate common security problems. While no platform is perfect, we are confident that the combination of elements will enable you to build awesome apps, and that the platform will continue to improve over time,” Microsoft said in the blog post.
The Redmond-based technology giant has already admitted in a statement that hackers are developing new ways to crack recently released platforms, so Windows 8 was very likely to become one of the targets.
The company revealed, however, that several new technologies have been implemented to make the entire operating system a lot more secure.
“Just as they have with other platforms, hackers are proposing ways to compromise the integrity of apps, which can have lots of negative consequences to the system and the customer experience. We have taken a variety of extra measures to help harden Windows 8,” a Microsoft spokesperson told us.
Click here if you wish to read the entire blog post, including the techy details that explain how to build a more secure Windows Store app.