Lockin Company “Mobile App Protection Market Based on Source Code Encryption Expands”
Actively targeting corporate, game, and financial markets with specialized product lines, aiming for ‘mobile integrated security company’
2016.01.19
As the number of mobile device users has increased significantly, mobile security threats have increased significantly.
According to a survey by mobile security company ‘Aksan’, 97% of the top 100 paid Android applications (apps) and 87% of Apple iOS paid apps have been hacked. As hacking of popular free apps has increased, hacking is targeting free Android apps related to financial services, healthcare, and commerce.
Although companies are releasing many mobile apps, they are often released without paying attention to mobile app security.
It is a time when security measures for the mobile apps themselves are urgently needed. Personal users are recommended to use mobile antivirus software provided free of charge. Experts point out that companies need app protection measures to prevent hacking at the source when providing mobile apps or services used for work.
If mobile developers neglect security when releasing mobile apps, their source codes can be copied or stolen. Users can also suffer financial damages due to sensitive information leaks caused by apps with security vulnerabilities.
Choi Myoung Kyu, CEO of Lockin Company, a specialist in providing mobile app protection solutions, emphasizes, “Mobile apps are much easier to hack than programs used on PCs. The developer source code, which is the core design of mobile apps, can be easily exposed. Hacking is possible if you use a public tool or only use Java programs, so a separate mobile app security plan is necessary.”
Lockin Company is a mobile app security startup founded in September 2013. It has over 10 years of experience in the security field. Choi Myoung Kyu was in charge of game hacking defense at Neowiz Games just before the company was founded.
Lockin Company’s flagship solution, ‘LIAPP (LOCKIN APP PROTECTOR)’, is an integrated app mobile security solution designed to prevent mobile hacking at the source. Its key function is to encrypt and protect the source code and the entire app. It blocks decompilation and debugging to prevent app analysis, and also encrypts and protects important information such as libraries.
It can detect various hacking tools and virtual machines that can pose serious threats to apps and prevent hacking at the source.
CEO Choi said, “The problem with mobile apps is that the source code is visible. Obfuscation solutions make it difficult to decipher the source code. However, this is not enough,” and emphasized the difference from obfuscation solutions, saying, “Only by encrypting the entire source code can we prevent app hacking, forgery, etc.”
Obfuscation is a method of simply rearranging words to make them difficult to read, but it encrypts the source code itself to make the original source invisible at the source.
Lockin Company continues to develop ‘LIAPP’, which started with the source code protection function. Currently, LIAPP provides various security functions required for apps, such as source code encryption, memory hacking prevention, forgery prevention, library protection, anti-debugging, hacking prevention through virtual machine detection, game engine protection, and repackaging prevention.
Another advantage of LIAPP, CEO Choi said, is that it is easy and fast to apply. ‘LIAPP’ basically provides all security functions using the cloud method so that they can be easily built. If the cloud method is not desired, in-house construction is also possible.
CEO Choi said, “The mobile environment has a short life cycle. In line with the fast development cycle, developers can log in to the Reapp site, set up the application environment with just a few clicks, and upload the developed app, and the necessary app protection functions can be applied.” He explained, “You can download the app with the protection function applied in at least 3 to 7 seconds.”
Based on these strengths, Lockin Company is actively introducing ‘LIAPP’ and expanding its base by supplying it to games, finance, and companies.
In the first half of last year, just two years after its establishment, sales grew by 200% year-on-year. In addition, the company is accelerating its growth by attracting investment from KDB Industrial Bank for the first time as a mobile security company.
This year, the ‘LIAPP’ product line was subdivided to more actively attack the market based on specialized functions.
It consists of ‘LIAPP for Business’ for public institutions and companies, ‘LIAPP for Game’ specialized for game apps, and ‘LIAPP for Enterprise’ for large corporations and finance companies.
A mobile integrated security product that includes antivirus functions will also be released under the ‘LIMO (LockIn MObile)’ brand soon.
It also plans to advance into overseas markets in the future. CEO Choi said, “We plan to focus on the domestic market this year and next year, but we are also preparing a bridgehead for entering overseas markets by already pursuing partnerships with companies in the US and China.”
Meanwhile, Lockin Company is also carrying out activities to raise awareness of mobile security and protect intellectual property rights by holding an event to provide ‘Reapp’ for free to startups and mobile app developers this year, following last year.
