I am writing an auto update client. It’s a very simple app that:
1) Checks a central server to see if an update exists for some application
2) Downloads the install program from the server if a newer version exists
3) Runs the setup program
Other than server-side concerns (like someone hacking our site and placing a ‘newer’ malicious application there), what client-side security concerns must I take into account when implementing this?
My current ideas are:
1) Checksum. Include the checksum in the .xml file and check that against the downloaded file. (Pre or post encryption?)
2) Encrypt the file. Encrypt the file with some private key, and let this program decrypt it using the public key.
Are both or either of these necessary and sufficient? Is there anything else I need to consider?
Please remember this is only for concerns on the CLIENT-SIDE. I have almost no control over the server itself.
If you retrieve all of the information over https and check for a valid certificate then you can be sure that the data is coming from you server.