Approov Secures Mobile Gaming App Genopets, Stops Cheaters

SOURCE: Approov

Players earn crypto, evolve “digital pets” through walking and active lifestyle. Most popular mobile games lack and need similar protections.

Mobile app security specialist Approov was selected by mobile game developer Genopets to protect its growing user base and secure the popular game against cheaters.

A mobile app security study found that of the 357 high-earning Android mobile games tested, a vast majority were vulnerable to either reverse engineer or manipulation, and could not detect a compromised device. This left them vulnerable to repackaging – the modification of an app’s source code to steal user credentials or otherwise manipulate the game’s security or user experience.

Genopets prompts users to make healthy lifestyle choices, rewarding them with crypto when they care for a digital pet when they take a walk, exercise or make other healthful choices. It taps step data from a player’s mobile device, allowing them to “move to earn” through the game’s Genoverse.  

Observing hackers and cheaters trying to use its APIs to manipulate data on the backend to gain unfair advantages, Genopets turned to Approov to protect its API resources from abuse. Approov ensures that every request to its backend originated from its authentic app and an authentic mobile device.

Genopets CEO Kevin Kim saw an immediate 99.9% reduction of malicious access to API resource, an important factor in protecting both game play and user data.

Approov is backed by Palo Alto-based Lanza techVentures. It secures mobile apps and their APIs for brands such as BMW Mini and Sixt.

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