How can Mini Program Reinforcement in 5 levels improve the security of a Chinese bank mini program?

WeChat Mini programs, the lightweight applications based on WeChat, have become essential business channels and marketing tools for Chinese companies, due to the ease of development, large user base and rich integrated functions of it. However, the reverse engineering and cracking of program code by cybercriminals represents a significant commercial risk. The hidden data within the code of a mini program, such as proprietary algorithms, user data, or encryption keys, can be extracted by attackers, leading to breaches of commercial interests or intellectual property. In recent years, there have been numerous instances where companies have incurred losses due to illicit mini program cracking. In a highly competitive market, the negative effects of code leaks can have a detrimental impact on business, including:

• The leakage of user information: The theft and subsequent misuse of sensitive user data, such as phone numbers, ID numbers, and addresses, stored within mini programs, can result in significant financial and reputational damage to both users and companies.
• Theft of core code: Those seeking to clone or mimic a mini program may steal its core code, thereby creating fake mini programs. This not only results in a loss of customers but also has a detrimental impact on the brand image of the original company.
• Exposed interfaces: Vulnerabilities in the front-end code's exposed interfaces may be exploited by attackers to steal coupons or points, insert viruses, ads, or malicious code into a mini program, which could disrupt normal functionality, harass users, or even redirect users to illegal websites, resulting in financial losses.

Typically, unprotected mini program code contains identifiable markers represented in plain text strings. It is common practice for junior developers and cost-effective outsourcing solutions. The data structure is uncompressed, which makes it relatively straightforward to reverse engineer. If mini program code is not obfuscated and encrypted, it can be cracked with relative ease, leading to commercial and intellectual property losses for the company. WeTest Mini Program Reinforcement offers flexible, multi-layered security protection for mini programs. By encrypting HTML and JavaScript, we provide protection through anti-debugging, anti-reverse engineering, and code obfuscation, increasing the difficulty for attackers to analyse the mini program's code logic and thus enhancing its security.

It is essential to maintain the operational efficiency and size of the mini program while increasing the difficulty and cost for attackers. Otherwise, users may be lost due to slow response times. The objective of WeTest's mini program security reinforcement services is to achieve an optimal balance between code security and program size. Clients can select from five different reinforcement levels, tailored to their specific encryption needs. The Basic Level (Level-3) service is provided via WeTest's public cloud SaaS platform and comprises 11 security features. Clients can batch-reinforce all JavaScript files in the mini program with a single click, providing comprehensive protection for specific codes in a cost-effective manner. For mini programs that handle payment-related business, WeTest recommends the Expert Level (Level 5) service. In comparison to the Basic Level, the Expert Level offers up to 15 security features, specifically designed for payment and financial scenarios, providing comprehensive code security protection. Furthermore, clients have the option to utilise command-line tools to tailor the reinforcement level, striking a balance between code security and size. WeTest also offers private platforms for Level-5 expert-level reinforcement, which are well-suited to the needs of large-scale mini programs.

In terms of code bloat, WeTest's mini program reinforcement performs extremely well, significantly reducing user access costs caused by code bloat. Testing has shown that the average code bloat rate for WeTest Level-3 reinforcement is approximately 1.31x, for Level-4 reinforcement it is around 1.58x, and for Level-5 reinforcement it is between 1.6x and 4x. When evaluated using Google V8 Benchmark's Octane suite, WeTest's Level-3 reinforced mini programs demonstrated minimal performance degradation, outperforming numerous mini program versions reinforced by alternative methods.

Regarding reinforcement strength, WeTest's mini program reinforcement significantly improves code security by employing techniques such as encrypted string reordering, code compression, and control flow flattening, making the code much harder to crack. In previous WeTest service cases, we’ve handled mini programs with stringent security requirements, especially in the financial sector. For example, one Chinese bank client’s mini program provided services such as online account registration, account management, deposits, wealth management, credit, and payments. These services involved a large amount of sensitive personal information, transaction records, and asset data. Due to concerns about product security, copyright protection, and sensitive data risks, the client opted for WeTest’s Level-5 expert security reinforcement service.

Financial industry code and data are always prime targets for cybercriminals. A typical method of profit for criminals involves cracking legitimate mini programs to acquire crucial algorithm models, code libraries, and other core data, then illegally selling them after secondary development. The resulting code leaks violate intellectual property rights and reduce business competitiveness. Furthermore, the exposure of sensitive information and core algorithm logic can pose financial security risks to users. Issues like ads, malicious viruses, and payment anomalies can severely impact user security and experience. In this case, the WeTest expert team obfuscated the client’s mini program code, increasing its reverse-engineering difficulty and keeping the code bloat rate at 23%, outperforming competitors and gaining high client recognition.

As a core component of WeTest's mini program security suite, mini program security reinforcement provides the following key benefits:

• Flexible Reinforcement Options: Clients can choose the reinforcement level for expert-level and private platforms based on business needs. This balances code security and performance to meet core requirements and ensure user experience.
• One-Click Online Testing: Basic Level clients can use WeTest's public cloud platform to test one-click. Fill in the name, version, and upload the code to create a reinforced package.
• Stronger Reinforcement: In addition to virtualization and random custom mapping, WeTest's mini program reinforcement also uses storage encryption and disables console code to provide deep code security protection.
• Low Performance Impact: For Level-5 reinforcement, the average code bloat rate is between 1.6x and 4x, outperforming competitor products with minimal impact on mini program performance. For Level-3 reinforcement, the code bloat rate is as low as 1.31x.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Supports mini-programes of WeChat, TikTok, Douyin, Baidu as well as those developed on cross-platform frameworks like mpvue, uniapp, and taro.
• Industry-Standard Service: In addition to a visual reporting dashboard, WeTest’s expert security engineering team provides professional end-to-end consultation and technical support.

Test out WeTest mini program security solution's coverage to see how we add value and profitability to your mini program solutions with our free trail.

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About WeTest

WeTest, with over a decade of experience in quality management, is an integrated quality cloud platform dedicated to establishing global quality standards and enhancing product quality. As a member of the IEEE,  approved Global Game Quality Assurance Working Group, it is recognized for its commitment to quality assurance. WeTest has served over 10,000 enterprise clients across 140+ countries.

Focusing on advanced testing tools development, WeTest integrates AI technology to launch professional game testing tools such as PerfDog, CrashSight, and UDT (Next-Gen Multi-Terminal Unified Access Management Automated Testing Platform), aiding over a million developers worldwide in boosting efficiency. Additionally, WeTest offers comprehensive testing service solutions for mobile, PC, and console games, covering compatibility, security, functionality, localization testing and other various services, ensuring product quality for over one thousand game companies globally.

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