CVE-2016-4818 in DEMO Trade
Summary
by MITRE
DMMFX Trade for Android 1.5.0 and earlier, DMMFX DEMO Trade for Android 1.5.0 and earlier, and GAITAMEJAPAN FX Trade for Android 1.4.0 and earlier do not verify SSL certificates.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4818 affects multiple forex trading applications for the android platform including DMMFX Trade, DMMFX DEMO Trade, and GAITAMEJAPAN FX Trade across various versions. These applications fail to properly validate SSL certificates during network communications, creating a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of encrypted data transmission between mobile devices and financial servers. This weakness specifically impacts the secure socket layer implementation within these mobile trading platforms, leaving users vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks and unauthorized data interception. The affected applications are designed for financial trading activities where sensitive user information, trading credentials, and transaction data are transmitted over network connections, making proper certificate validation essential for maintaining security boundaries.
The technical flaw stems from improper SSL certificate verification mechanisms within the mobile applications, which allows attackers to perform certificate pinning bypasses or successfully execute SSL stripping attacks against the communication channels. When applications fail to verify SSL certificates, they essentially trust any certificate presented by a server regardless of its authenticity or validity. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295 which defines weaknesses in certificate validation processes, specifically addressing the failure to properly validate certificates in secure communications. The implementation lacks proper certificate chain validation, hostname verification, and trust anchor validation that are fundamental requirements for establishing secure SSL connections. Attackers can exploit this by deploying malicious intermediaries that present fake certificates, enabling them to intercept and potentially modify sensitive trading data including login credentials, account information, and transaction details.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception to potentially enable complete account compromise and financial fraud. Mobile traders who rely on these applications for real-time market data and transaction processing face significant risks when their communications are not properly secured. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of financial data transmitted between users and trading servers, creating opportunities for attackers to gain unauthorized access to trading accounts, manipulate trading decisions, and potentially redirect funds. Given the nature of forex trading applications, this vulnerability could lead to substantial financial losses for users and reputational damage for the application developers. The risk is particularly elevated in mobile environments where network connections may be less secure and users often conduct transactions in public or untrusted network environments.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive security measures to address this vulnerability, including updating affected applications to versions that properly validate SSL certificates and implementing certificate pinning mechanisms where appropriate. The recommended mitigations align with ATT&CK technique T1041 which addresses secure communication channel establishment and include proper certificate validation implementation, regular security testing, and network monitoring for suspicious activities. Security teams should conduct thorough penetration testing to verify certificate validation is properly implemented and consider implementing additional security controls such as mutual authentication, secure key management, and continuous monitoring of network traffic for potential man-in-the-middle attacks. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to industry standards for mobile application security, particularly in financial applications where security failures can have severe consequences for both users and organizations.