# SeMA: A Design Methodology for Building Secure Android Apps

## TL;DR

This paper introduces SeMA, a storyboard-based design methodology that enables early specification and verification of security properties in Android apps to prevent vulnerabilities from design flaws.

## Contribution

SeMA provides a novel approach integrating security considerations into Android app storyboarding during the design phase.

## Key findings

- Enables security verification at design time
- Reduces vulnerabilities caused by design flaws
- Improves security integration in app development

## Abstract

UX (user experience) designers visually capture the UX of an app via storyboards. This method is also used in Android app development to conceptualize and design apps. Recently, security has become an integral part of Android app UX because mobile apps are used to perform critical activities such as banking, communication, and health. Therefore, securing user information is imperative in mobile apps. In this context, storyboarding tools offer limited capabilities to capture and reason about security requirements of an app. Consequently, security cannot be baked into the app at design time. Hence, vulnerabilities stemming from design flaws can often occur in apps. To address this concern, in this paper, we propose a storyboard based design methodology to enable the specification and verification of security properties of an Android app at design time.