Model files and API permissions are different assets
A model may contain weights, structure, or business training value. An API credential represents permission to consume server resources. One leak enables copying and analysis, while the other may enable spend, data access, or service abuse.
Inventory models, runtimes, preprocessing, postprocessing, prompts, credentials, caches, logs, inputs, and outputs separately instead of assigning every concern to one encryption switch.
- Model and configuration location
- Runtime and third-party SDKs
- Credential scope and lifetime
- Sensitive inputs, outputs, and logs
Runtime must obtain usable model material
Client inference requires usable model material at runtime. File encryption can reduce static convenience, but it cannot make the client an absolutely trusted environment.
Review key retrieval, memory material, debugging conditions, model and app version pairing, and error logs. Without runtime evidence for a current candidate, publish design boundaries rather than extraction-prevention claims.
Do not make a long-lived privileged key a client secret
Mobile applications can be observed, modified, and replayed. A safer design proxies high-risk requests through a server and gives the client short-lived, restricted, and revocable credentials.
The server should enforce account authorization, quota, rate, version policy, and anomaly records. Client integrity signals can inform the decision without deciding high-risk requests alone.
- Least-privilege credential
- Short lifetime and rotation
- Server quota and rate limits
- Traceable and revocable abuse
Split client and server work by business objective
On-device inference suits low latency, offline use, and some privacy needs. Servers centralize models, credentials, and high-risk decisions. Hybrid architecture is valid when creation, transfer, use, update, and rollback responsibilities are explicit.
A model protection conclusion must name the application version, model version, target devices, and validation method. Naming an encryption algorithm alone does not establish runtime or API control.
Apply the guidance to a real application
Provide the stack, critical paths, target systems, and current candidate so Yudun can recommend a focused protection and compatibility review.