Android 12 is now officially available for Google&rsquo;s Pixel phones and will slowly roll out to others in the coming months. Chances are, you think of Android as a consumer product, but over the course of the last few years, Google has put a lot of work into making it an enterprise tool, too. It&rsquo;s maybe no surprise that with the launch of Android 12, which already includes a number of&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.google/products/android-enterprise/androidenterprise12/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">new enterprise features by default</a>, Google is also now announcing a couple of new security-focused initiatives around&nbsp;<a href="https://www.android.com/enterprise/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Android Enterprise</a>, too.

This includes a new bug bounty program, the aptly named&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/about/appsecurity/android-rewards/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Android Enterprise Vulnerability Program</a>, which promises up to $250,000 for a full exploit of a Pixel device that runs Android Enterprise.

But Google is also working with its wider partner ecosystem to expand its support for the Zero Trust security model on Android. This means, for example, working with partners like Okta, Ping and ForgeRock to move their authentication workflows from WebView to Chrome&nbsp;<a href="https://developer.chrome.com/docs/android/custom-tabs/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Custom Tabs</a>&nbsp;on Android. Google has long argued that developers should use Custom Tabs whenever they render content from outside of their own domain, in part for performance reasons, but also because Chrome&rsquo;s Safe Browsing features provide additional security.

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&ldquo;While WebView is a flexible and powerful component for rendering web content, Custom Tabs are more modern and full-featured, allowing identity providers to gather device trust signals, improve employee security and enable single-sign-on across apps and the web,&rdquo; explains Rajeev Pathak, a senior product manager&nbsp;at Google, in today&rsquo;s announcement.

Google is also extending its Android Management API to make it easier for companies that use Enterprise Mobility Solutions from the likes of Microsoft, Citrix or Google itself to ensure that users &ldquo;receive the fastest delivery of all of our enterprise features, with best practices and Android Enterprise Recommended requirements set by default.&rdquo;

Google-launches-bug-bounty-program-for-Android-Enterprise

Google launches a bug bounty program for Android Enterprise

What is Appsec?

With the rising adoption of software applications in business, an increase in cybersecurity attacks shows an upward trend. Out of all such attacks, Perforce.com projects that approximately&nbsp;<a href="https://www.perforce.com/blog/kw/what-is-appsec" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">84% of such cybersecurity attacks are carried out in the application layer</a>.

To tackle such attacks, an efficient Application Security (AppSec) mechanism requires a combination of tools and practices for identifying, remediating, and preventing security vulnerabilities throughout the application development life cycle. By proactively fixing vulnerabilities, security teams improve the application&rsquo;s security posture since threats are mitigated before being exploited in production. 
 
<img alt="" src="/media/blog/2023/02/28/a16ae26a-ad5f-49e0-b46c-0ce3613bb5ba.png" style="height:150px; width:300px" />

Modern software development primarily emphasizes agility, where most efforts focus on streamlining the CI/CD pipeline. AppSec, on the other hand, blends security seamlessly into development and operations workflows to build&nbsp;safe applications while keeping development costs low.

Why is application security important to protect customers&rsquo; data?

Data security and privacy are core aspects of every application security approach. Every application processes and stores sensitive business information and customer data, often the prime targets in a breach.&nbsp;

A data breach leads to a loss of confidence and trust of valuable customers and tarnishes a business&rsquo;s reputation in the longer run. On the contrary, administering appropriate AppSec mechanisms and data privacy policies also helps boost brand value since consumers associate with businesses that comply with robust data security safeguards.

Most users are concerned about how systems handle their data. With proper data privacy regulations, customers are guaranteed safety against identity theft and credit card fraud to trust the platform.&nbsp;

Adopting data protection policies also enforces an effective ethics code since handling data responsibly is considered general ethical practice. Failure to protect sensitive customer data also attracts penalties from regulatory authorities, leading to loss of revenue or operating licenses.&nbsp;

Application Security Reports

As the cybersecurity landscape evolves, so do the tools and techniques used to secure applications. There are several commonly referred to as best practices and application security tools to mitigate cybersecurity threats. AppSec Reports are one of the most widely used tools that are used as a reference to manage, monitor, and mitigate security threats throughout an application&rsquo;s lifecycle.&nbsp;

What are they?

Cybersecurity researchers and ethical hackers prepare an application security report highlighting top attack vectors, key security risks, and gaps. The document requires cybersecurity experts to look in-depth at how an organization implements system and network security, performs ethical hacking and penetration tests, and then record their findings.&nbsp;

The report documents the latest AppSec trends, tools, and best practices to protect network infrastructure, system, and user data through comprehensive surveys. Due to the significance of its real-time data points, an AppSec Report is considered a valuable source to help security teams prioritize identifying, fixing, and eliminating attack vectors at the application level.

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Google launches a bug bounty program for Android Enterprise

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Why Is Application Security Important for Business