Super App Security: Avoid the Trap of Obscurity

How Do You Build a Secure Super App?

The general rule for security—just like in everything else—is to avoid repeating mistakes from the past.

One of the worst security mistakes that keeps resurfacing, despite being debunked more than a century ago, is Security Through Obscurity.

At Acenji, we take a different approach.

Even as early as 1883, cryptographer Auguste Kerckhoffs formulated a key principle of security:

“A cryptographic system should be secure even if everything about the system, except the key, is public knowledge.”

Despite this, big software giants thought they knew better and kept relying on hidden, proprietary, and closed-source security mechanisms—often with disastrous results.

Let’s explore some major security failures due to Security Through Obscurity and how Acenji avoids these pitfalls in our super app security architecture.

1. Proprietary Software & Closed-Source Systems: The Illusion of Security

Consider Microsoft Windows in its early days. It relied on closed-source security, which sounds great on paper.

But in reality? Not so fast.

Because of:

Code complexity & lack of coverage
The inherent security risks of C/C++ development environments
Hackers’ ability to reverse-engineer proprietary code

Windows became a prime target for attacks.

A great example is zero-day exploits, particularly how Adobe Flash spent years hiding security flaws rather than fixing them—until it became completely obsolete.

What’s the lesson for super apps?

When you introduce massive custom code, kept in secrecy, you increase entropy and vulnerability.

How Acenji Does It Right

At Acenji, we focus on:
✅ Public testing and security certifications
✅ A strong security model that is not reliant on secrecy
✅ Blockchain-based integrity validation

📌 Example from Acenji’s No-code software development platform

patent (US20240069872A1):

“The no-code software development platform of claim 16, wherein differentiated approvals are read for manual plugins and for automatic semantic Web-type plugins, reading adapted to include one or more seals to indicate at least one or more of coverage code, whether the software application is semantic made, and that the blockchain code hash matches artifact hash code, the blockchain code which is checked at least one or more of once per day, once per hour, and as a read-only process.”

Instead of hiding security mechanisms, Acenji verifies them publicly and transparently.

2. Industrial Control Systems (SCADA): The Cost of Ignoring Security

Critical infrastructure systems like power grids and water supply systems were never designed with modern security in mind.

For years, organizations relied on air-gapped systems (i.e., not connected to the internet) and assumed they were secure.

Then came Stuxnet (2010)—the infamous worm that targeted Iranian nuclear centrifuges by exploiting vulnerabilities in SCADA systems that relied on Security Through Obscurity.

The result? A devastating cyberattack that changed the landscape of cybersecurity forever.

How Acenji Learns from These Mistakes

We built Acenji with zero-trust architecture from the ground up.

📌 Example from Acenji’s patent (Claim 14):

“The method for using a no-code software development platform […] including reading with the plugin interface at least one hashed plugin artifact on a public blockchain and receiving a security alert sent if hash codes are not matched.”

This is a strong security practice—as long as the hash-checking process is openly verifiable and does not rely on hidden mechanisms.

Where each plugin is signed with cryptographic pair, the signature is published on-chainand end users can verify the signature using Acenji’s public key.

✅ How We Do It Right:

Public blockchain storage for hashes (Ethereum, Solana, Hyperledger)
Cryptographic signing of each plugin (end users can verify using Acenji’s public key)
Tamper-proof audit logs that cannot be deleted or altered
Real-time and monthly security reports for transparency

3. Hiding Security Flaws Instead of Fixing Them

Many C-level executives in poorly run companies prioritize hiding security issues instead of fixing them.

A perfect example? Apple’s Bootrom Exploit (Checkm8, 2019).

The exploit could not be patched once discovered.
Apple never disclosed it properly, leading to permanent vulnerabilities in millions of devices.

How Acenji Does It Differently

We believe transparency is the only real security.

If you try to hide flaws, they will eventually be exposed—and when they are, the damage is far worse.

That’s why Acenji:
✅ Fixes vulnerabilities instead of hiding them
✅ Publishes security reports instead of keeping issues secret
✅ Allows independent verification of security claims

4. API Security & Hidden Endpoints: The Tesla API Lesson (2023)

A Common Developer Mistake

Imagine a dog or cat eyeing food on your table.
You pretend not to see them, but they still find a way to grab it.

That’s exactly how hackers treat hidden API endpoints.

Many developers assume that if they don’t document an API, nobody will find it.

👎 Wrong.

Example: Tesla’s API Breach (2023)

Attackers discovered hidden API endpoints and used them to remotely unlock Tesla vehicles.

How Acenji Solves This Problem

📌 First Rule: NEVER assume an API is hidden.

From day one, Acenji was built with:
✅ Proper authentication & authorization
✅ Security-first API development
✅ Continuous penetration testing

Even before we had paying clients, we spent a ton of effort on security.
It seemed like overkill at the time, but it’s exactly why Acenji prioritizes client safety first.

Final Thoughts: Building a Secure NoCode Super App the Right Way

Security must be designed from the ground up—not patched in later.

🚨 Security Through Obscurity does NOT work.

🔑 What does work?
✅ Publicly verifiable cryptographic security
✅ Decentralized blockchain verification
✅ Strong authentication & authorization
✅ Real-time security monitoring & reporting

At Acenji, we don’t just say we’re secure—we prove it.

If you’re building a super app, don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

Build it right.
Build it securely.
Build it like Acenji.