Engineering

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/09/MicrosoftTeams-image-133-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="358">Did you know?52 million data breaches were recorded in the 2nd quarter of 2022 alone. And the average cost of a data breach hit an all-time high of $4.35 million this year.Since the pandemic, people’s social and financial lives have gone digital. More than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are generated every second across categories and channels. Imagine this quantum of information falling into the wrong hands due to compromised login credentials, phishing attacks, and cloud misconfigurations. It could expose consumers and businesses to financial loss, reputational damage, operational disruptions, and legal repercussions.As data is one of the most valuable assets a financial organization can possess, securing the data environment from the risk of cyber threats, data breaches, and other attacks is critical.So how can financial companies secure their data environment?Using ISMS.<h2 class="heading-node" id="ljb3adzqe" style="text-align: justify">How ISMS enables a secure environment?</h2>Financial organizations need a robust Information Security Management System (ISMS) to avoid threats and secure sensitive data. ISO 27001 &amp; ISO 22301 certifications are imperative to ensure data environments are secure without data exfiltration and unauthorized data manipulation. ISMS compliance prevents financial penalties, reputation loss, and legal and regulatory non-compliance.<h2 class="heading-node" id="8nwndysxz" style="text-align: justify">What is ISMS?</h2>ISMS is a framework that improves data security by protecting all forms of information, viz., digital, paper-based, and other cloud devices. It establishes a systematic approach that maintains an organization’s confidentiality, integrity, and availability.<ul class="list-node" id="pogyjzt23"><li>Confidentiality- ensuring the right access control</li><li>Integrity -keeping data complete and accurate at all times</li><li>Availability -making sure data is accessible anytime as required</li></ul>The ISMS framework comprises policies, processes, and controls that protect organization data and increase attack resilience. Businesses can leverage their risk analysis approach to reduce costs associated with adding layers of defense technology that might not always work.<h2 class="heading-node" id="jmwuobn5t" style="text-align: justify">Avert security threats with ISO 27001&nbsp;standard</h2>Security threats apply not just to IT assets. Non-IT data sets are under significant threat too. Financial companies need to be proactive with ISO 27001 compliance to secure all data assets, manage data privacy and integrity and ensure customer confidence.ISO 27001 is a security management standard that helps an organization manage risk factors that may include procedures, policies, and staff training. The international standard ISO/IEC 27001 comprises guidelines jointly established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO).The ISO 27001 standard relies a lot on regular risk assessments. These assessments ensure that the organization is so prepared and secure, that when threats appear, all the appropriate measures are already laid out. The ISO 27001 standard encompasses deep risk assessment processes, information classification, organizational structuring, monitoring and reporting guidelines, information security policies, and access control mechanisms, among other procedures.<h2 class="heading-node" id="q2yipzw0r" style="text-align: justify">Combat disruptions with ISO 22301&nbsp;standard</h2>In case of untoward incidents and natural disasters, there is often little or no time for businesses to prepare a proper response. This leads to disruption between people, processes, networks, and infrastructure.Financial companies need to combat data attacks during unexpected times to stay out of financial loss, secure customer confidence, manage customer loyalty and operate their business smoothly. This is precisely what ISO 22301 solves for. ISO 22301 mitigates risks and helps an organization tide over vulnerabilities.ISO 22301 is a global standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS). This business continuity management standard helps an organization identify threats, respond to them, and recover quickly with the least disruption to their business.<h2 class="heading-node" id="md4logi7j" style="text-align: justify">Top-notch data security, our priority</h2>Certified under ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 standards, we prioritize data environment security to defend against cyber-attacks, data breaches, and other risks. We are accredited to deliver products that are embedded with top-notch security and operational excellence.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Securing Data Environments with ISMS

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/Flutter-for-Fintech_Blog-banner_04.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="284">Fintech has transmuted banking and financial operations worldwide. It has radically simplified financial services and processes with the help of banking applications. Back in the day fintech applications were confined only to tech-savvy users, but today, it has become an integral part of life for all generations. The appetite for mobile-first, customized financial applications is driving fintech companies to innovate and consistently deliver advanced products and services.Banking applications are traditionally built for specific operating systems and <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/api-the-power-that-drives-new-age-banking-ecosystems/">APIs</a> using the respective native programming languages/technologies. But these practices resulted in higher cost implications and prolonged time to market. To overcome such limitations, fintechs adopted the latest digital innovations to power personalization, user engagement, and security.The launch of Flutter in 2017 changed the dynamics of application development as it provided a great user experience tailored for specific operating systems. This unique feature made Flutter the holy grail of fintech app development. Over the last few years, several companies have successfully launched their applications using the Flutter framework.Curious to know how to add a flutter module to an existing android and iOS application?You’re in luck. We have our domain expert and Senior Software Engineer,&nbsp;<a class="link au lh" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chinnadurai-viswanathan-b2b6b7a5/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ugc nofollow">Chinnadurai Viswanathan</a>&nbsp;share the nitty-gritty of how Flutter can be used in fintech applications.Here are the topics he sheds light upon.<a class="link" href="#430e">What is Flutter?</a><a class="link" href="#d14a">Why Flutter is critical to Fintech?</a><a class="link" href="#fb14">How to Generate a Flutter Module?</a><a class="link" href="#69a3">Android Integrations</a><a class="link" href="#af8c">IOS Integrations</a>Here you go!<h2 class="heading-node" id="ag0mm47r9">What is Flutter?</h2>Flutter is an open-source software development kit from Google. It is used to build cross-platform applications, including mobile, web, and embedded products &amp; services. Programmers employing Flutter write a single codebase to create applications that run across various platforms such as android, iOS, Windows, and Linux. Developers build a Flutter app once and cross-compile them for multiple platforms with Flutter instead of creating an individual application for each platform.Let us be clear here that Flutter is not a programming language. It is a User Interface (UI) framework that works on the Dart programming language. It uses native UI elements which can be personalized during development. Some of the most used Flutter applications are Google Pay, Xianyu by Alibaba, and the KenKen puzzle app.<h2 class="heading-node" id="d14a">Why is Flutter critical to Fintech?</h2>Flutter combines the best features from native and hybrid application development approaches. Therefore, it is considered an optimal solution for neo banks and fintech companies. The Flutter framework offers manifold benefits to the user. But in this article, we emphasize the ones that are most essential for developing a fintech or mobile banking solution. Application and Data SecurityFlutter is powered by Dart and compiled into a native, computer-executable code. There are no intermediary apps required. This makes Flutter-based banking apps more secure than native solutions. Moreover, it also involves a comprehensive native library and changes data formats during compilation. So, the reverse engineering process is multifaceted, making it almost impossible for hackers to comprehend the software functionality to reproduce.Information security and compliance with regulations like <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/pci-dss-the-payments-armour/">PCI DSS</a> and GDPR are imperative for a banking application. The framework allows biometric authentication via Face ID or Touch ID, and enables Dart developers to leverage the recently released library implementations of all popular data encryption algorithms. This boosts the security of the customers’ personal and financial data as well as transaction details.Reliable PerformanceAn application’s performance is directly proportional to customer engagement and retention rate. Delays in loading time significantly impact the product’s performance, which can make the customers stop using the application again.Flutter can offer up to 120 frames per second (FPS) performance, making it a top choice for banking apps that serve a colossal userbase with rapid response time.Use of Declarative APIFlutter harnesses reactive declarative UI <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/api-the-power-that-drives-new-age-banking-ecosystems/">APIs</a>. This means Flutter’s user interface reflects the current state of the application. For example, if a user flips a switch in the settings screen, it triggers a redraw of the current state, and the UI rebuilds from scratch. This is the key advantage of Flutter.There is only one code path for any state of the user interface. The developer describes what the UI should be like, for any given state once, and that is it. The framework handles the arduous, error-prone task of optimizing the UI.Saves Time, Cost, and EffortUnlike native technologies, the Flutter framework presents a unique feature called the&nbsp;Hot Reload. It allows the developers to see the front-end and back-end changes in real-time. This enhances the product delivery speed as it saves a lot of time involved in developing and compiling a banking app. Additionally, Flutter offers a lot of widgets that help in simulating the behavior of various design languages, thus enabling the developers to jump some of the tedious steps in the application development.Furthermore, by using Flutter, developers write only one codebase for different operating systems. Thus multiple teams for each operating system is not required. This reduces the time and effort involved in testing bugs and potential issues. Furthermore, the use of a single codebase for different platforms drastically alleviates the maintenance process and, in turn, minimizes operational costs.Delivers Seamless User Experience and PerformanceReleasing new features and updates according to end-user feedback is the key to boosting customer engagement and retention. Flutter is flexible and has an in-built application builder. The developers can take advantage of a wide range of pre-developed, reusable UI elements to customize and fit customer needs and specifications. The apps built using this framework facilitate seamless user experience and superior performance.<h2 class="heading-node" id="fb14">How to Generate a Flutter Module?</h2>To create a flutter project, you require one of the following channels: beta, dev, or master. In case you are using the stable channel, change/ upgrade your channel before moving to the next step. Now, create a flutter module as shown in the below image.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/01.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="284">Upon clicking the finish button, a flutter module will be generated in the chosen folder.Now, using flutter design, you can make any design to meet your business requirements.Let us take the below design as an example<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com//m2p-website-file/marekting-cms/m2p-blog/2025/05/02.webp" alt="Flutter" title="" id="50luuo7xe" width="100%" height="284"><h2 class="heading-node" id="69a3">How to add Flutter to Android?</h2>We will first create a new Android Studio project.Step 1: Start&nbsp;Android Studio&nbsp;on your system.Step 2: Click on&nbsp;Start a new Android Studio projectStep 3: Choose&nbsp;Empty Activity/Whatever you need (Based on your business logic)&nbsp;and click&nbsp;Next.Step 4: Now enter the details for your&nbsp;native android projectStep 5: Click on the Finish buttonThere are two ways to implement the Flutter Module:(1) Using Android Archive (ARR)(2) Using Module’s source codeHere, we are using the Module’s source code as it facilitates a one-step build for the Android and Flutter projects. It is also convenient to work simultaneously on both parts; however, remember to install the Flutter SDK to build the host app.As the next step, add the Flutter module as a sub-project to the host app’s settings. Gradle file by adding the following commands:<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com//m2p-website-file/marekting-cms/m2p-blog/2025/05/03.webp" alt="Flutter" title="" id="t59nt5bbw" width="100%" height="171">Now, sync the Gradle by clicking on&nbsp;Sync Now&nbsp;button. Next, add more code and files to the host app to make it Flutter dependent.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com//m2p-website-file/marekting-cms/m2p-blog/2025/05/04.webp" alt="Flutter" title="" id="j0aitwyay" width="100%" height="199">Add a dependency to the&nbsp;app-level&nbsp;build. Gradle in your host app<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com//m2p-website-file/marekting-cms/m2p-blog/2025/05/05.webp" alt="Flutter" title="" id="ni6c8c7eu" width="100%" height="199">Finally, the Flutter Module is successfully added to the native Android Application.<h3 class="heading-node" id="1b69">Integrating Flutter Module with the Android app</h3>Follow the below steps to build the FlutterActivity class to display the Flutter screen within the host app.<ul class="list-node" id="lbr605y4h"><li>Use the&nbsp;withNewEngine()&nbsp;factory method to configure a&nbsp;FlutterActivity&nbsp;that internally creates its own&nbsp;FlutterEngine&nbsp;instance.</li><li>Followed by the&nbsp;initialRoute()&nbsp;factory method to define a custom route to display the Flutter UI, defined in the Flutter app code.</li><li>Finally, employ the&nbsp;build()&nbsp;method to build the&nbsp;FlutterActivity&nbsp;within the host app. It takes the current Activity as an argument.</li></ul><img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/06.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="171">or<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/07.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="142">Add the following inside the AndroidManifest.xml file of the host app to load up the Flutter UI.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/08.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="199">Finally, the Flutter module is integrated with the native Android application.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/09_a.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="284"><h2 class="heading-node" id="8ba5">How to add Flutter to iOS?</h2>As the first step, create an empty iOS project with all the required files. Here, we are creating a new Xcode project.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/10.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="284"><img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/11_a.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="xag8slkou" width="100%" height="284">To create an empty iOS project, enter the Product Name, select Team, and fill in the other details. Then click Next.We can implement the Flutter Module in two ways:(1) by embedding frameworks in Xcode(2) by embedding with CocoaPods and the Flutter SDKHere, we will embed with CocoaPods to add Flutter to a native iOS app.<h3 class="heading-node" id="9ileqvn8o">Integrating Flutter Module with the iOS application</h3>We have used FlutterViewController to build FlutterActivity to display the Flutter screen within the host, a native iOS application. However, to use this, we will also need to create a FlutterEngine class. The proper place to build a FlutterEngine is inside the AppDelegate.swift file. Now, replace the whole content of this file with the following code<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/12_a.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="227">Now, add the following lines to the ViewController.swift file in order to display the flutter screen.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/13_a.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="227">Finally, the Flutter module is integrated with the native iOS application.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/06/14_a.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="284">Flutter is a feature-rich Software Development Kit with an enormous potential to build a banking app while achieving performance and fault tolerance. With Flutter, the app UI and logic doesn’t change depending on the platform. There is no reliance on platform-specific UI components, and it is suitable for any target platform. Using Flutter, developers can impose the critical facet of the financial industry, such as security of sensitive data and defense from reverse engineering.Looking for assistance in using Flutter to build your banking app, write to us at&nbsp;<a class="link au lh" href="mailto:business@m2pfintech.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener ugc nofollow">business@m2pfintech.com</a>. We’ll be glad to help.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

The Implications of Flutter in Fintech

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/Hardware-Security-Modules-01-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="284">Security compliance is non-negotiable. No matter what.Irrespective of whether you are into digital banking, card issuance, or <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/digital-lending-open-credit-enablement-network/">lending</a>, you must remember that your customer data, credentials, and documents are vulnerable to security hazards. Without strong <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/why-is-risk-based-authentication-rba-critical-for-banks/">risk management</a> measures, you may risk exposing yourself and your customers to data breaches, cyber-attacks, and exorbitant fines from regulatory authorities. This is where cryptography, the science of protecting sensitive data saves the day, by delivering the highest levels of data protection.<h2 class="heading-node" id="q22mmnm3s">Cryptographic Keys</h2>Cryptography uses digital keys to encrypt and decrypt data with required levels of complexity for secure access and compliant operations.So, what is a cryptographic key?A cryptographic key refers to a string of characters in an encryption algorithm that helps randomly create the desired data. This key helps convert a plain text to ciphertext and vice-versa whenever data encryption and decryption happens. Efforts must ensure that only the authorized user has access to the key. The encrypted data must be stored securely for decryption without any discrepancy.<h2 class="heading-node" id="5d58">Lifecycle of a Cryptographic Key</h2> The following process comprises the cryptographic key lifecycle.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/Hardware-Security-Modules-02.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="285">Provisioning -The provisioning process generates keys using a key management system, an hardware security module (HSM), or a Trusted Third Party (TTP) through random number generators. The keys should be strong enough to provide the necessary protection to secure the data.Backup and storage-&nbsp;This is a critical step where a secure backup copy of the key is made. It should be available for future retrieval if the key undergoes any failures. Such backup keys are often stored in external media or other backup solutions. All private keys must be encrypted before being stored.Deployment-&nbsp;The&nbsp;new key is installed electronically or manually into a secure cryptographic devices such as Hardware Security Module.Management, Monitoring, and Rotation-&nbsp;Here, the keys are often controlled and monitored with respect to the industry standards and policies. The encryption key management system handles key rotation and deploys new keys as and when existing keys expire.Archiving-&nbsp;The keys that are no longer in operation are stored here for an extended period. They might be required again in the future for associated data retrieval. The key, when archived, is encrypted for additional security.Disposal-&nbsp;The keys are permanently destroyed here, when they are no longer needed. Before destruction, the key is analyzed and sometimes recovery is processes if necessary. A key can be removed from its operation using key destruction, key deletion, or key termination.Generating, securing, and managing cryptographic keys can be multifaceted and complex, requiring support from information security and development teams.So, how can you create, monitor, store, and optimally use cryptographic keys?Simple. Install HSM.<h2 class="heading-node" id="a893">So, what is Hardware Security Module (HSM)?</h2>Hardware Security Module (HSM) is a device that provides a wired security solution for the wireless world. It is a dedicated cryptographic processor that offers a secure, tamper-resistant environment specifically designed to protect identities, devices, and cryptographic key data throughout its lifecycle.HSM protects any data in use, transit, and rest, for encryption, decryption, authentication, and key management. In toto, it serves as a ‘trust anchor’ to ensure compliance, simplify audits, generate, and store keys.<h2 class="heading-node" id="6380">Types of HSMs</h2>HSMs can be broadly classified (as listed below) based on the levels of functionality and compliance with different security standards.· General Purpose (GP) HSM· Transaction HSMGeneral Purpose (GP) HSMWherever there is sensitive data, and the need for encryption prevails, GP HSM is indispensable. It generates powerful cryptographic commands that can safely encrypt and decrypt information for any application.Sample use cases for general purpose HSM are:· Symmetric key management for database encryption· Asymmetric keys management for digital signature creation· Certificates to support Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)· Crypto walletsGP HSM supports compliance with the following standards.· <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/pci-dss-a-quick-guide-to-its-levels/">PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)</a>· <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/prevent-cnp-frauds-with-pci-3ds/">PCI 3DS (Payment Card Industry 3-Domain Secure)</a>· <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/gdpr-in-a-nutshell/">GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)</a>· FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act)· FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program)· ICAM (Identity, Credential, and Access Management)· eIDAS (Electronic Identification and Trust Services)Transaction HSMAlso known as payments HSM, this security module has advanced security features compared to the general-purpose counterpart. Transaction HSM enforces dual control using payment-specific cryptographic commands to ensure sensitive information never leaves the HSM. The PCI SSC compliance mandates the use of payments HSM for the use cases below.· When payment transaction processing happens, this supports card, user and cryptogram validation· Helps in processing EMV transactions· Generates key and injects it· Helps facilitate highest security when keys are shared with third parties· Used for generating, managing, and validating PIN· Enables electronic funds interchange, Electronic funds transfer at point of sale (EFTPOS), and ATM transactions· For payment cards and mobile applications, it helps in generation of payment credentials· Enables point-to-point encryption (P2PE), key management and secure data decryption· With payment HSM, cash-card reloading is made hassle-free· Facilitates PIN block translation when network switch of POS and ATM transaction takes placeTransaction HSM supports compliance with the following standards:· PIN (Personal Identification Number) Security· P2PE (Point-to-Point Encryption)· <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/3d-secure-your-barrier-against-cyber-attacks/">3DS (ACS- Access Control Server &amp; DS- Directory Server)</a>· Card Production· TSP (Token Service Provider)· SPoC (Software-Based PIN Entry on COTS)· CPoC (Contactless Payments on COTS)<h2 class="heading-node" id="5938">Are HSMs trustworthy?</h2>Absolutely!HSMs have high accuracy and are implanted in a secure and sealed environment. This acts as the trust factor for every organization to implement. As HSMs work on a dedicated firewall, they never get exposed to the public internet and thus ensure maximum security. The hardware is designed to give a high input with minimal resource usage. This is how cryptographic keys and data are protected optimally.<h2 class="heading-node" id="47c2">High on protection</h2>HSMs are commonly used to protect identities, transactions, and applications. They protect the cryptographic keys by creating a trustable environment in which processes such as encryption, decryption, and authentication are equipped and secured. They follow industry regulations and standards such as <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/pci-dss-a-quick-guide-to-its-levels/">PCI DSS</a>, FIPS 140–2, European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, Domain Name System Security Extensions, and Common Criteria.<h2 class="heading-node" id="6534">How HSM enables maximum security?</h2>HSMs offer the ultimate protection for all the critical functions involved in payment applications and databases. Hardware Security Modules come with many features that cannot be overlooked, as they help organizations maintain a secure transaction infrastructure.· HSMs are equipped with a secure design that meets all the security standards and adheres to the Federal Information Processing Standardization (FIPS) 140–2.· The operating system in HSM is always security-focused.· The higher levels of trust and authentication ensure the maximum security of the sensitive data and cryptographic keys.· Automated lifecycle tasks and protective mechanisms are quick and efficient.· The key is maintained only in the HSM, exempting the possibility of malicious attacks that might occur virtually.· HSMs enable application integration with the help of <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/the-world-of-apis-how-they-power-fintech/">APIs.</a><h2 class="heading-node" id="6d7a">Versatility of HSMs</h2>Businesses should use HSMs to safeguard the sensitive information pried by countless threats they might encounter. In day-to-day applications, HSMs secure data generated across banks, websites, cryptocurrencies, smart meters, mobile payments, medical devices, PINs, identity cards, and digital documents.And the buck doesn’t stop here. HSM protects digital signing, ensures compliance, and helps in key generation and management. Wherever financial transactions happen, HSMs provide that additional layer of security. ­­­Today physical HSMs are transitioning to the cloud. Cloud HSM or HSM as a Service (HSMaaS) hosts encryption keys and cryptographic operations with FIPS 140–2 Level 3 certified modules.Want to know more about HSMs?Contact us at&nbsp;<a class="link" href="mailto:business@m2pfintech.com">business@m2pfintech.com</a><a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Cryptographic Keys and Hardware Security Modules - An Introduction

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/Artboard-1-copy-8-2-2.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="529">Cybercrime is quickly evolving into an escalating issue across the physical and virtual universe. More than 80% of online businesses have reported an increase in cyberattacks since 2020.The digitization of finance has further widened avenues for hackers to create loopholes in financial infrastructure with sophisticated tools and techniques. Wherever there is a software application or a network involved, cybercriminals infiltrate the system to steal sensitive personal information and financial credentials. Vulnerable financial applications don’t stand a chance before the mushrooming attacks and give way to compromised data, loss of money, identity theft, and data breaches.<h2 class="heading-node" id="d923" style="text-align: justify">Nipping vulnerabilities in the bud</h2>As responsible facilitators of digital banking, payments, and lending services, fintech companies take cybersecurity very seriously. According to the Sixth Annual Bank Survey, more than 70% of fintechs vow to treat information security as their top concern in 2022. They adopt technologies, tools, and even philosophies that will help them nip vulnerabilities right in the bud.<h2 class="heading-node" id="d555" style="text-align: justify">Transition to DevSecOps</h2>Standing at the forefront of technological innovation, fintechs need to deliver secure deployments, application releases, and updates at supersonic speed. But as with every new-age technology, fintech <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/the-world-of-apis-how-they-power-fintech/">APIs</a> are prone to security risks. These risks reduce go-to-market speed, delay update releases and impair code quality.Even though standard practices such as DevOps delivers tremendous deployment velocity with zero downtime, cloud readiness, robust security, and compliance management, it still fails to address security risks at the grass-root level. That’s why financial software developers mandate the need to integrate security into the DevOps process. They began transitioning towards the DevSecOps to build secure and efficient applications at top speed.DevSecOps quickly evolved as the future of financial software development, as it made cybersecurity a fundamental part of the production pipeline, which comprises architecture design, coding, and testing phases. Today, it is a crucial application development methodology for successfully developing fintech applications in regulated and unregulated domains.<h2 class="heading-node" id="dbbb" style="text-align: justify">What is DevSecOps?</h2>DevSecOps, a blend of development, security, and operations, refers to the adoption of security right at the beginning of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). It is more a philosophy than a tech approach that calls for increased collaboration between development, security, and operation teams.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/DevSecOps-blog-banner-02.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="hasokqmme" width="100%" height="529">It resonates deeply with the view of Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) which goes, “Security can be achieved only when it has been designed in. Applying security measures as an afterthought is a recipe for disaster.”This is exactly what DevSecOps solves for.<h2 class="heading-node" id="1b91" style="text-align: justify">Why DevSecOps?</h2>During the days of DevOps, security was included late in the lifecycle only after the development and operation phase. Technological advancements in cloud platforms, microservices, and containers could not move forward, as security turned out to be a major bottleneck. Catching security issues late in the cycle resulted in a lot of rework and late releases. These were some of the reasons why fintech application developers shifted to agile DevSecOps practices for quick and modern application development and deployment.By shifting security left, DevSecOps integrates testing checks between the development and operation functions of every sprint. It integrates security into DevOps by tackling issues within Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) pipelines. In doing so, DevSecOps accelerates software delivery, reduces the duration between code change, production, deployment, and release while reducing security risks.<h2 class="heading-node" id="dbb0" style="text-align: justify">Resolving contentions</h2>The fundamental area of contention between development, security, and operation teams is their change implementation, security monitoring, and stability principles. They become a source of friction that often leads to lags in the software development cycle. DevSecOps serves as an effective tool to resolve this friction by providing a culture that empowers the teams to work in sync.<h2 class="heading-node" id="79ef" style="text-align: justify">Functions of DevSecOps</h2>DevSecOps aims at designing novel solutions that simplify complex processes within the agile framework. It ensures that customers suffer no technical glitches after deployment or release of any update, or application.Encompassing threat modeling and security testing processes in the pipelines saves time, effort, and cost. The automation in security testing helps test for vulnerabilities keeping futuristic risk possibilities in mind. Security reports can be easily generated to identify risk patterns in CI and CD. The continuous feedback process at every phase of development and code integration strengthens rectification and delivery infrastructure.<h2 class="heading-node" id="63bb" style="text-align: justify">4 simple steps to develop a DevSecOps culture</h2>For sustained focus on security and application effectiveness, companies need to build a DevSecOps culture. Developing a ‘Security as Code’ philosophy is a vital step towards creating this culture. It calls for consistent, compliant, and collaborative efforts between development, operations, and security teams.Follow the steps below to make DevSecOps culture a breeze.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/05/DevSecOps-blog-banner-03-03.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="wnvu7jjqw" width="100%" height="529"><ul class="list-node" id="l13bfyfvi"><li>Garner cooperation&nbsp;— Team silos and conflicts are key reasons why DevSecOps tends to fail in most companies. Garner cooperation through knowledge sharing and reward mechanisms that promote continuous improvement.</li><li>Grant authority and autonomy&nbsp;— Nobody likes dictatorships. Authorize your teams to identify and resolve issues on their own. This autonomy will boost their solidarity and collaboration.</li><li>Appoint strong leaders&nbsp;— Groom or bring in leaders who prioritize security. Make security a top-down mandate. This is a crucial step to building a DevSecOps culture.</li><li>Educate and align&nbsp;— Educate team members on the importance of security, and align the learnings towards DevSecOps tasks. Focus on risk training while also briefing security teams about DevOps methodology.</li></ul>The fundamental goal of the exercise is to make cybersecurity an organization-wide priority, with DevSecOps as a crucial tool.<h3 class="heading-node" id="0f3f" style="text-align: justify">Crucial imperative for fintech application development</h3>A common myth is that developing applications with security in mind impedes innovation. But the security left DevSecOps methodology steers innovation in the right direction and saves a lot of time, effort, and cost.If you are in the business of developing fintech applications, then it’s imperative&nbsp;that you deploy DevSecOps tools and processes as an organization-wide philosophy. As forerunners in implementing the DevSecOps philosophy, we deliver pre-built workflows and AI-powered automation capabilities to deliver secured risk-based authentication at every step. We redefine the software development lifecycle process to accelerate software deployment, product quality, and controlled release cycles and processes.Want to know more about how your business can benefit from the DevSecOps process?Ping us at&nbsp;business@m2pfintech.com.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox.Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.