Security best practices

Security is a core principle of the SingleView Open Banking. All integrations must follow strict security standards to ensure the protection of customer data, financial transactions, and system integrity.

This section outlines the recommended best practices for securely integrating with SingleView APIs and SDK services.

Secure API Communication

All communication with SingleView APIs must occur over secure HTTPS connections.

Best Practices

• Use TLS 1.2 or higher
• Reject insecure HTTP connections
• Validate server certificates
• Ensure proper certificate chain validation

Secure transport encryption prevents unauthorized interception or modification of data during transmission.

Protect API Credentials

API credentials such as Client ID, Client Secret, and Access tokens must be treated as sensitive information.

Best Practices

• Never expose credentials in client-side code
• Store secrets securely using a secure vault or environment variables
• Rotate credentials periodically
• Avoid committing credentials to source control repositories

If credentials are compromised, immediately revoke and regenerate the secret from the Console.

OAuth and Token Management

SingleView APIs use secure token-based authentication.

Best Practices

• Store access tokens securely
• Avoid long-term storage of tokens in plaintext
• Refresh tokens when required
• Implement token expiration checks
• Do not expose tokens in URLs or logs

Proper token management ensures that API access remains controlled and secure.

Implement Mutual TLS (mTLS)

For enhanced security, SingleView supports Mutual TLS (mTLS) authentication.

mTLS verifies the identity of both the client and the server during the connection handshake.

Benefits

• Stronger authentication
• Protection against man-in-the-middle attacks
• Additional trust layer for API communication

Always ensure certificates are properly stored and rotated before expiration.

Validate Redirect URLs

Redirect URLs are used during authentication and payment authorization flows.

Security Recommendations

• Register only trusted redirect URLs
• Use HTTPS-only redirect endpoints
• Avoid wildcard domains
• Validate redirect parameters on your server

Incorrect redirect configurations can expose applications to open redirect vulnerabilities.

Secure Consent Flows

Open Banking services rely on explicit customer consent before accessing financial data or initiating payments.

Best Practices

• Clearly inform users about the data being accessed
• Display consent information in understandable language
• Avoid pre-selected consent options
• Ensure users authenticate directly with their bank

SingleView provides secure consent management aligned with Open Banking standards and regulatory requirements.

Implement Strong Input Validation

Applications should validate all incoming and outgoing data to prevent malicious input.

Best Practices

• Validate request parameters
• Sanitize user inputs
• Implement schema validation
• Protect against injection attacks

Proper validation protects your application and API interactions from misuse.

Monitor API Activity

Continuous monitoring helps detect abnormal activity and potential security threats.

Recommendations

• Track API request logs
• Monitor authentication failures
• Monitor unusual traffic patterns
• Review API usage metrics regularly

The Console dashboard provides visibility into API usage and activity logs.

Protect Sensitive Data

Financial and personal data must be handled with strict security controls.

Best Practices

• Encrypt sensitive data at rest
• Limit access to sensitive records
• Mask sensitive fields in logs
• Follow data retention policies

Sensitive information should only be processed when necessary and must be stored securely.

Rate Limiting and Abuse Protection

Applications should implement safeguards against excessive or malicious requests.

Recommended Practices

• Respect API rate limits
• Implement retry strategies with exponential backoff
• Detect abnormal request spikes
• Prevent automated abuse

These measures help maintain service availability and prevent misuse.

Access Control and User Permissions

Ensure that access to Console and API resources is properly managed.

Best Practices

• Use role-based access control
• Grant minimum required permissions
• Review user access periodically
• Remove unused accounts promptly

Proper access management reduces the risk of unauthorized system access.

Incident Response

In case of a security incident or suspected compromise:

1. Revoke compromised credentials
2. Rotate API secrets immediately
3. Review system logs
4. Notify the SingleView support team
5. Apply corrective actions before resuming operations

Timely response helps minimize impact and protect customer data.

Compliance and Regulatory Alignment

SingleView Open Banking services operate under regulatory standards defined by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).

Developers integrating with SingleView APIs should ensure their implementations follow:

• Secure authentication standards
• Consent-driven data access
• Data protection practices
• Regulatory compliance requirements

Security Checklist

Before deploying your integration to production, ensure that:

• API credentials are securely stored
• HTTPS and TLS encryption are enforced
• mTLS certificates are configured
• Redirect URLs are validated
• Token management is implemented
• Sensitive data is protected
• API activity monitoring is enabled

Following these best practices helps ensure that your integration remains secure, compliant, and reliable.