Networking / Beginners

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Smart Client Security

The smart client architecture does not depend on a gateway for protocol conversion, so it does not suffer from the WAP gap. However, these applications do have security issues that must be addressed. Anytime data is available outside of corporate firewalls, security mechanisms are required to protect sensitive information. With a smart client architecture, it is possible to provide end-to-end security for your enterprise data. This goes beyond what is currently capable with many thin client solutions.

The main areas of security concern for smart client applications include user authentication, encryption of the client data store, and transport-level security. We will take a look at each of these in turn.

User Authentication

Smart client applications store data directly on the device, much like a client server desktop application does on a PC. To restrict access to this data, user authentication is required. A username/password combination is the minimal level of authentication that should be implemented. The password used should not be stored anywhere on the device, as this would jeopardize the system security. Commonly, this form of authentication is implemented as a check between a userid/password stored within the data store against the userid/password typed in by the user. This usually results in a machine-code jump if the comparison is successful, and, unfortunately, this kind of application can be hacked to always jump, thereby giving the hacker access to the data whenever he or she uses a cracked application. For a better implementation, refer to the Data Store Security section, which follows.

However you implement user authentication to the device and its data, it should not automatically authenticate the user to the enterprise server's data. At this level, a second form of authentication should be implemented, usually one more sophisticated, such as a VPN or digital certificate. In this way, an enterprise can minimize the amount of data that can be accessed by unauthorized users. They will be able to view the small amount of data stored locally, but be unable to update or retrieve any of the enterprise data.

It is also a good idea to take advantage of the security offering of the mobile operating system. All of the leading operating systems provide a mechanism to lock the machine, requiring users to be authenticated before they can gain any device access at all. This would provide a third layer of authentication and serve as a deterrent for someone who may find a lost device.