ACTIONSCRIPT 3 Developer’s Guide en

ACTIONSCRIPT 3.0 DEVELOPER’S GUIDE
Security
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Android: Security and Permissions
Encrypted data on Android
AIR applications on Android can use the encryption options available in the built-in SQL database to save encrypted
data. For optimum security, base the encryption key on a user-entered password that is entered whenever the
application is run. A locally stored encryption key or password is difficult or impossible to “hide” from an attacker who
has access to the application files. If the attacker can retrieve the key, then encrypting the data does not afford any
additional protection beyond the user ID-based filesystem security provided by the Android system.
The EncryptedLocalStore class can be used to save data, but that data is not encrypted on Android devices. Instead,
the Android security model relies on the application user ID to protect the data from other applications. Applications
that use a shared user ID and which are signed with the same code signing certificate use the same encrypted local
store.
Important: On a rooted phone, any application running with root privileges can access the files of any other application.
Thus, data stored using the encrypted local store is not secure on a rooted device.
Security on iOS devices
On iOS AIR conforms to the native security model. At the same time, AIR maintains its own security rules, which are
intended to make it easy for developers to write secure, Internet-connected applications.
Since AIR applications on iOS use the iOS package format, installation falls under the iOS security model. The AIR
application installer is not used. Furthermore, a separate AIR runtime is not used on iOS devices. Every AIR
application contains all the code needed to function.
Application signatures
All application packages created for the iOS platform must be signed. Since AIR applications on iOS are packaged in
the native iOS IPA format, they are signed in accordance with iOS requirements rather than AIR requirements. While
iOS and AIR use code signing in a similar fashion, there are significant differences:
On iOS, the certificate used to sign an application must be issued by Apple; Certificates from other certificate
authorities cannot be used.
On iOS, Apple-issued distribution certificates are typically valid for one year.
Background image privacy
When a user switches an application to the background on iOS, the operating system captures a screenshot that it uses
to animate the transition. This screenshot is stored in device memory and can be accessed by an attacker in physical
control of the device.
If your application displays sensitive information, you should guard against such information being captured by the
background screenshot. The deactivate event dispatched by the NativeApplication object signals that an application
is about to switch to the background. Use this event to clear or hide any sensitive information.
Last updated 6/6/2012
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