Securing Apple’s future — and ours

Apple should review, test, and approve other security solutions beyond what it has created to allow for additional security measures. While this would require additional resources for Apple to coordinate with third-party security vendors, it would lead to more options and higher security for developers — and more safety for their end users. As part of Apple’s review process, I strongly hope the company adds automated testing of apps for suspicious behavior and questionable permission requests. To Apple’s credit, it does have default app encryption in place; however, one type of security cannot cover all the edge cases or security flaws that an app may contain. Allowing the platform to be more flexible and accommodate third-party security solutions would make it much more difficult to crack iOS apps, leading to significant reduction in hacking.

As I write this, Apple is about to introduce its line of smartwatches, while rumors swirl that the company is about to enter the self-driving car business. Whatever Apple’s plans, third-party apps will likely be a critical part of them — giving the company all the more reason to address these concerns now. I have great admiration for Tim Cook and his team and am confident they will. The company’s future — and, to a great extent, ours — depends on them doing that.

Minpyo Hong has advised corporations, NGOs, and governments on digital security issues for over 20 years, and led a team of five-time finalists at Defcon. Hong is currently founder and CEO of Seworks, a San Francisco-based developer of advanced security solutions for the mobile era.