CVE-2016-3664 in Mobile Security
Summary
by MITRE
Trend Micro Mobile Security for iOS before 3.2.1188 does not verify the X.509 certificate of the mobile application login server, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof this server and obtain sensitive information via a crafted certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/22/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3664 affects Trend Micro Mobile Security for iOS versions prior to 3.2.1188, representing a critical weakness in the application's certificate validation mechanism. This flaw resides in the mobile security solution's authentication process where the system fails to properly verify the X.509 certificate presented by the login server during the authentication handshake. The absence of proper certificate verification creates a significant security gap that adversaries can exploit to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks against the mobile application's communication channel.
This vulnerability directly corresponds to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through phishing with a malicious certificate. The technical flaw manifests when the Trend Micro Mobile Security application establishes a secure connection to its login server without performing the necessary certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or trust anchor validation. Attackers can leverage this weakness by presenting a maliciously crafted certificate that appears legitimate to the vulnerable application, thereby bypassing the intended security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it enables attackers to intercept and potentially modify all communication between the mobile device and the Trend Micro authentication servers. This includes sensitive information such as user credentials, device identifiers, and potentially other confidential data transmitted during the authentication process. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the mobile security solution's communication, undermining the fundamental security posture that users expect from enterprise mobile security products. Organizations relying on this software for mobile device management and security enforcement face significant risk of unauthorized access to their mobile infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-3664 require immediate deployment of Trend Micro Mobile Security version 3.2.1188 or later, which includes proper certificate validation mechanisms. Security administrators should also implement network-level monitoring to detect anomalous certificate behavior and establish certificate pinning policies where possible. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that the updated version maintains proper functionality while addressing the certificate validation weakness. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their mobile device management systems and consider alternative authentication mechanisms that provide stronger cryptographic guarantees. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and monitoring solutions can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability, as the attack requires the adversary to be positioned within the communication path between the mobile device and the authentication server.