A two-part series examining regulatory compliance to raise awareness around cybersecurity risks.

The trap many developers – from software architects to programmers to designers – fall into is thinking they know enough about cybersecurity to adequately identify and address the risks, while falsely relying on the underlying OS for protection.

It is important to remember, cyber criminals are professionals diligently working on new ways to exploit networks, mobile phones and applications. Anything connected to the Internet must be assumed to be actively under attack, and even more so if the information within these devices is considered valuable. Reuters reported in 2014 that patient health credentials are 10 to 20 times more valuable than credit card numbers. The reality is that any network connection enabled by an app may introduce new risk.

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A two-part series examining regulatory compliance to raise awareness around cybersecurity risks.

Regulatory compliance. While this phrase may strike an ominous tone for many traditional mobile app software companies, it is familiar territory for veterans in the mobile medical app space. It is unlikely the software developers behind the first calorie counting app gave regulatory compliance much thought. Applications, after all, have been a source of convenience, entertainment and education for years. However, as mobile apps have grown more integrated and mobile device sensor technology has become more sophisticated, that calorie counting app may be transformed into a tool for treating obesity, diabetes and sleep disorders. Smart software developers have come to realize that mobile medical apps are a way to future profits as well as a benefit to patients.

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