CVE-2015-7785 in GANMA! App
Summary
by MITRE
GANMA! App for iOS does not verify SSL certificates.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/19/2019
The CVE-2015-7785 vulnerability affects the GANMA! mobile application for iOS devices, representing a critical security flaw in the application's network communication security. This vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during secure communication with remote servers, creating a significant attack surface that can be exploited by malicious actors. The issue directly violates fundamental security principles that govern secure network communications and represents a clear deviation from established security best practices.
The technical flaw manifests as an improper certificate validation mechanism within the iOS application's secure socket layer implementation. When the GANMA! app establishes connections to its backend services, it fails to perform essential certificate verification steps including hostname checking, certificate chain validation, and trust anchor verification. This allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fake certificates that the application accepts without proper scrutiny. The vulnerability operates at the application layer of the OSI model, specifically affecting the transport layer security mechanisms that should ensure data confidentiality and integrity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, creating potential pathways for credential theft, data manipulation, and unauthorized access to user accounts. Mobile applications that fail to validate SSL certificates expose users to risks including session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privacy breaches. Attackers can exploit this weakness to capture sensitive user information, manipulate application communications, and potentially gain unauthorized access to backend systems that rely on the application for authentication or data processing. The vulnerability is particularly concerning given that mobile applications often handle sensitive personal and financial data, making the exposure of such flaws critical to user security.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" in security protocols. The flaw also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel" and represents how attackers can leverage weakened SSL validation to establish unauthorized data transfer channels. Organizations implementing similar security controls should consider the broader implications of such flaws within their mobile application security posture. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation and the necessity of adhering to security standards such as those defined in NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and SSL/TLS protocol implementation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers must ensure that all certificate validation checks are properly implemented including hostname verification, certificate chain building, and trust anchor validation against established certificate authorities. The application should be updated to use secure TLS versions and cipher suites while implementing certificate pinning where appropriate to prevent certificate substitution attacks. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar issues within the application's network communication stack. Additionally, organizations should implement network monitoring to detect anomalous communications patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts against such vulnerabilities.