Certificate pinning is a security measure used in mobile applications to guarantee that the app only communicates with its intended server and not any potential malicious servers.
Certificate pinning works by hardcoding a specific digital certificate or public key into an app, which is then used to authenticate with the server during SSL/TLS handshake. This way, even if someone were to intercept traffic between the app and server, they wouldn’t be able to decrypt it since they lack the correct certificate or key.
Mobile app developers can utilize certificate pinning in their applications to enhance security and prevent attacks such as man-in-the-middle attacks. (A man-in-the-middle attack is where an attacker intercepts traffic between their app and server and may steal sensitive information like login credentials or credit card numbers.)
However, it’s essential to remember that certificate pinning is not 100% secure and could be bypassed by malicious attackers. As such, certificate pinning should be combined with other security measures like encryption and regular security audits for maximum protection.