CVE-2015-5632 in Applican Framework
Summary
by MITRE
The runtime engine in the Newphoria applican framework before 1.12.3 for Android and before 1.12.2 for iOS allows attackers to bypass a whitelist.xml URL whitelist protection mechanism and obtain API access via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-5632 represents a critical security flaw in the Newphoria application framework's runtime engine across both mobile platforms. This issue affects versions prior to 1.12.3 for Android and 1.12.2 for iOS, demonstrating the framework's susceptibility to unauthorized API access through a bypass of its intended security controls. The flaw specifically targets the whitelist.xml URL protection mechanism, which serves as a fundamental security control designed to restrict API access to only approved endpoints. This vulnerability type falls under CWE-284, which addresses improper access control mechanisms, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566.001 for spearphishing attachments, as the bypass allows attackers to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive API resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits weaknesses in the framework's runtime engine that processes and validates URL access requests. The whitelist.xml file, intended to serve as a security boundary by defining approved domains and endpoints, can be circumvented through unspecified vectors that likely involve manipulation of the runtime engine's parsing or validation logic. Attackers can leverage this flaw to access API resources that should otherwise be restricted, potentially enabling data exfiltration, unauthorized transactions, or further exploitation of the affected applications. The bypass mechanism suggests that the framework's URL validation process contains a logic flaw or insufficient input sanitization that allows malicious requests to pass through the intended security controls.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-5632 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it compromises the integrity of the application framework's security model. Applications built on this framework may be vulnerable to data breaches, where attackers can access sensitive information through APIs that should remain protected. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to perform unauthorized operations within the application environment, potentially leading to service disruption, financial loss, or reputational damage. This flaw particularly affects mobile applications that rely on API connectivity for core functionality, making the impact more severe as users may unknowingly expose their data through compromised applications. The vulnerability's presence in both Android and iOS versions indicates a systemic issue within the framework's architecture rather than platform-specific implementation problems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-5632 require immediate application of the vendor-provided patches and updates to versions 1.12.3 for Android and 1.12.2 for iOS. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of applications built on the Newphoria framework to identify potential exploitation attempts and verify the effectiveness of the applied fixes. Additional protective measures include implementing network-level monitoring to detect anomalous API access patterns, strengthening API authentication mechanisms, and conducting regular security audits of mobile applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper access control implementation and validates the necessity of robust input validation within application frameworks. Security teams should also consider implementing additional layers of protection such as API gateway security controls and runtime application self-protection mechanisms to defend against similar bypass vulnerabilities. Compliance with security standards such as OWASP Mobile Top 10 and NIST Mobile Security Guidelines should be maintained to ensure comprehensive protection against runtime engine vulnerabilities and access control bypass attacks.