CVE-2016-4830 in App
Summary
by MITRE
Sushiro App for iOS 2.1.16 and earlier and Sushiro App for Android 2.1.16.1 and earlier do not verify SSL certificates.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/19/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4830 affects mobile applications developed by Sushiro for both iOS and Android platforms, specifically versions 2.1.16 and earlier across both operating systems. This represents a critical security flaw in the application's network communication security implementation, where the mobile applications fail to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during secure communication with backend servers. The absence of certificate verification creates a fundamental weakness in the application's security architecture that directly violates established security best practices and industry standards.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure to implement proper SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the mobile application's networking stack. When applications do not verify SSL certificates, they become vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks where malicious actors can intercept and manipulate communications between the mobile client and the server. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-295 category of "Improper Certificate Validation" which specifically addresses the failure to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates, making it a direct implementation of this well-documented weakness. The affected applications essentially trust any certificate presented by a server, regardless of its authenticity or validity, creating an attack surface that allows for arbitrary certificate substitution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, particularly given that the Sushiro applications likely handle sensitive user data including personal information, payment details, and potentially location data. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can establish fake servers that appear legitimate to the mobile applications, enabling them to capture sensitive data transmitted between users and the backend services. This weakness directly maps to several techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1041 category of "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel" and T1566 category of "Phishing" as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create convincing fake application interfaces for data theft. The vulnerability essentially renders the application's secure communication layer ineffective, potentially exposing users to identity theft, financial fraud, and privacy violations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating the affected applications to versions that properly implement SSL certificate verification, deploying certificate pinning mechanisms to prevent substitution attacks, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of all mobile applications. The remediation process should involve implementing proper certificate validation routines that check certificate chains, expiration dates, and issuer authenticity. Security teams should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks and establish secure communication protocols that align with NIST SP 800-52 recommendations for secure socket layer implementation. Additionally, regular security testing including penetration testing and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to ensure that similar certificate validation flaws do not exist in other applications or systems within the organization's infrastructure.