Limit the utilization of ajax API to iOS and Android applications

Imagine a scenario where you have valuable data coming from an API (mysite.com/api/OooOOooData), and you need to ensure that access to it is limited to the designated iOS / Android app. It's crucial for the data to be connected to the correct advertising through the apps. Allowing unauthorized usage of the API could result in giving away the data for free without any benefit from advertising, or even worse, other developers might exploit it for profit.

If this were a web-only application, controlling access within my own site wouldn't pose a problem. Since managing access is common and essential in web applications, I suspect that there must be solutions available for other technologies as well. My project utilizes web technology with Cordova, lacks a user system, making traditional authentication methods unfeasible.

The only method I've considered implementing involves embedding a key within the code and sending it along with all Ajax requests, requiring the server to validate the key. However, since the code is stored in a private repository, only users with jailbroken devices would have visibility to it – which presents significant security risks.

Is there an established, secure protocol for addressing this issue?

javascriptandroidiosajaxcordova

Answer №1

One way to detect if a user is using an iPhone in PHP is by checking the HTTP_USER_AGENT server variable like this:

<?php
$agent = $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'];
if(strpos($agent,'IPhone') !== FALSE){
// The client is using an iPhone
}else{
// The client is not using an iPhone
}
?>

Unfortunately, there might not be a foolproof and secure method to determine the device type with absolute certainty.

Answer №2

It's nearly impossible to guarantee 100% security in authentication methods, as they often rely on trust. However, I do have a few recommendations:

  1. Implement a private key/public key validation system on the server. Store the public key on the device and the private key on the server. Validate requests by including the key as part of the POST request. This method assumes that the certificate remains secure and is not shared.

  2. Create a unique client id and client secret for each registered user of your service. Use this information as part of the authentication process. Again, this strategy relies on developers safeguarding their identity and not sharing it with others.

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