CVE-2016-3677 in Wear App
Summary
by MITRE
The Huawei Wear App application before 15.0.0.307 for Android does not validate SSL certificates, which allows local users to have unspecified impact via unknown vectors, aka HWPSIRT-2016-03008.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3677 affects the Huawei Wear App application version 15.0.0.307 and earlier on Android platforms, representing a critical security flaw in the application's SSL certificate validation mechanisms. This weakness falls under the category of improper certificate validation, which is classified as CWE-295 in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The vulnerability exists within the application's secure communication protocols, where it fails to properly verify the authenticity and integrity of SSL certificates during network connections, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to implement proper certificate pinning or validation procedures when establishing secure connections to remote servers. This absence of certificate validation allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that the application accepts without proper verification. The unspecified impact vector suggests that local users may exploit this vulnerability through various attack methods, potentially including certificate spoofing, traffic interception, or data manipulation. The vulnerability's classification as a local threat indicates that exploitation does not require network access from external parties, making it particularly concerning for environments where the device may be physically accessible to unauthorized individuals.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it undermines the fundamental security assurances that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide. Attackers could potentially access sensitive user data, intercept communications between the wearable device and associated services, or even manipulate application behavior through forged server responses. This weakness directly violates the principles of confidentiality and integrity in the CIA triad, as the application cannot guarantee that communications are protected from unauthorized access or modification. The vulnerability also represents a significant risk to user privacy and data security, particularly in contexts where the wearable device may contain personal health information, location data, or other sensitive user attributes.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper SSL certificate validation mechanisms, including certificate pinning and robust validation procedures. Organizations should immediately update to Huawei Wear App version 15.0.0.307 or later, which addresses this specific vulnerability through enhanced certificate validation. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks and establish proper certificate management procedures. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1041 technique for Exfiltration Over C2 Channel, as the compromised SSL validation could enable data exfiltration through unauthorized communication channels. Additionally, the vulnerability aligns with T1566 for Credential Access through the potential for attackers to intercept authentication tokens or other sensitive credentials transmitted over insecure connections. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar certificate validation weaknesses in other applications and systems within the organization's infrastructure.