Progressive Web Apps, or PWAs, are innovative web applications that are developed using modern web technologies, to provide users with an app-like experience directly through their web browser. They combine the best of both mobile apps and mobile web, offering offline capabilities, high performance, and the possibility of being installed on users’ mobile devices without needing an app store. They are fast, reliable, and engaging while also being easier to develop and maintain compared to traditional applications. In short, a Wordpress PWA is an ideal way for anyone looking for a cost-effective mobile solution.
However, like any other application, PWAs can become vulnerable to hacking attacks and other security threats that can damage the owner’s reputation and compromise user data.
How to make your PWA safe
So, if you are building a PWA, you need to make sure to properly secure it:
Use Authentication and Authorization
One way to do this is to implement effective authentication and authorization by following these practices:
- Use secure passwords as well as two-factor authentication (2FA) for additional security.
- Use roles-based access control (RBAC) for authorization to establish user permissions.
- Implement HTTPS and SSL/TLS encryption for all web traffic. This way, you can ensure that all data that is sent between servers and clients is encrypted and protect user information from malicious attacks.
Implementing HTTPs and SSL/TLS
Two of the most important tools to use when securing you PWA are HTTPs and SSL/TLS. However, to use these tools and protect your PWA effectively, you should make sure you:
- use HTTPS wherever possible: Instead of using insecure HTTP connections, ensure that your pages are served via HTTPS. This way you can make sure your users’ data stays protected while they’re on your PWA.
- install an SSL Certificate: With the help of a SSL Certificate you’re enabling the HTTPs connections on your site while also providing authentication between your’ users and the server hosting your PWA.
- implement Certificate Pinning: Use Certificate pinning involves to bind your host domain to your SSL certificate. This way you can prevent man-in-the-middle attacks and protect your Progressive Web App from malicious actors.
- keep security protocols updated: Make sure you are always running the most secure version of your web server’s security protocols by regularly updating them.
- test connections regularly: By regularly testing your’ connections for security risks and vulnerabilities, you can ensure that they are still secure.
- configure firewall rules: By configuring appropriate firewall rules you block suspicious traffic and allow only secure connections and help protect you PWA from malicious actors.
Making sure that your PWA is always compliant with recent security guidelines and standards by taking the above steps can help to protect your and your users’ data from potential security threats and unauthorized access. Additional measures you can take to protect your PWA from threats like Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) are:
- sanitize all user input
- use CAPTCHA protection and secure cookies
- develop a Content Security Policy (CSP)