CVE-2011-4773 in AnGuanJia
Summary
by MITRE
The AnGuanJia (com.anguanjia.safe) application 2.10.343 for Android does not properly protect data, which allows remote attackers to read or modify SMS messages and a contact list via a crafted application.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/14/2019
The CVE-2011-4773 vulnerability affects the AnGuanJia Android application version 2.10.343, representing a critical data protection flaw that exposes sensitive user information. This vulnerability stems from insufficient security measures within the application's data handling mechanisms, creating a pathway for malicious actors to compromise user data through specially crafted malicious applications. The vulnerability specifically targets SMS messages and contact lists, which are among the most sensitive data types that users entrust to mobile security applications.
The technical flaw manifests through improper data protection mechanisms that fail to establish adequate access controls and data isolation between the legitimate application and potentially malicious third-party applications. This weakness allows attackers to exploit the application's insufficient sandboxing and permission model, enabling unauthorized read and write operations on SMS and contact data. The vulnerability operates at the application level rather than at the system level, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged to bypass the normal Android security model that typically protects user data from unauthorized access by other applications.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for users who rely on the AnGuanJia application for security protection. Attackers can remotely access and modify sensitive personal information including text messages that may contain passwords, banking details, or other confidential communications, as well as contact lists that could be used for social engineering attacks or further exploitation. The remote nature of the attack means that users do not need physical access to the device to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly concerning for mobile security applications that are expected to provide protection against such threats.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-255 - Credentials Management Weakness and CWE-312 - Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information, as it demonstrates inadequate protection of sensitive data both in transit and at rest. The flaw also relates to ATT&CK technique T1566 - Phishing and T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it enables attackers to create malicious applications that can exploit the weakness to gain unauthorized access to user data. The vulnerability represents a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture and violates the principle of least privilege that should govern all security-sensitive applications.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate application updates from the vendor to address the data protection flaws, implementation of proper access controls and data encryption mechanisms, and enhanced sandboxing to prevent unauthorized data access. Users should be advised to avoid installing applications from untrusted sources and to regularly update their security applications. Organizations implementing mobile security solutions should conduct thorough security assessments of all applications to ensure proper data handling and protection mechanisms are in place. The vulnerability underscores the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing comprehensive security testing before releasing mobile applications that handle sensitive user data.