CVE-2008-1938 in Mylo Com 2
Summary
by MITRE
Sony Mylo COM-2 Japanese model firmware before 1.002 does not properly verify web server SSL certificates, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information and conduct spoofing attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/19/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-1938 affects the Sony Mylo COM-2 Japanese model device running firmware versions prior to 1.002. This represents a critical security flaw in the device's implementation of secure communications protocols that directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted between the mobile device and web servers. The affected device operates within the mobile computing space, specifically targeting users who rely on wireless communication for business and personal applications, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise environments where sensitive data transmission occurs regularly.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper SSL certificate verification mechanisms within the device's firmware implementation. When the Sony Mylo COM-2 attempts to establish secure connections with web servers, the device fails to properly validate the authenticity of SSL certificates presented by the remote servers. This weakness creates a pathway for man-in-the-middle attacks where malicious actors can intercept communications between the device and legitimate web services. The flaw operates at the cryptographic validation layer, specifically targeting the certificate chain validation process that should ensure the identity of the communicating party and maintain encryption integrity.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability exposes users to significant risks including unauthorized data interception, session hijacking, and credential theft. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform SSL stripping attacks, where they downgrade secure connections to insecure HTTP communications, or to present fake certificates that the device accepts without proper verification. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to include potential system compromise through credential harvesting, particularly when users authenticate to sensitive corporate or financial services. This vulnerability particularly affects business users who may transmit confidential information, financial data, or proprietary communications through the device.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" in security protocols. This classification emphasizes the critical nature of certificate validation in maintaining secure communications and highlights the importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile devices. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1041, which describes "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel" and demonstrates how weak certificate validation can enable attackers to establish persistent communication channels for data exfiltration. Organizations using these devices should consider the broader attack surface this vulnerability creates and its potential to serve as a gateway for more sophisticated attacks.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate firmware updates to version 1.002 or later, which addresses the certificate validation flaw through proper SSL verification mechanisms. Network administrators should implement additional monitoring for suspicious SSL connection patterns and consider deploying network segmentation to limit exposure. Users should be educated about the risks of connecting to untrusted networks and the importance of verifying certificate warnings, though the device's vulnerability makes such user-based protections insufficient. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of regular security assessments for mobile device management systems and highlights the need for robust over-the-air update mechanisms to ensure timely patch deployment across enterprise device fleets.