CVE-2017-13102 in Asphalt Xtreme: Offroad Rally Racing
Summary
by MITRE
Gameloft Asphalt Xtreme: Offroad Rally Racing, 1.6.0, 2017-08-13, iOS application uses a hard-coded key for encryption. Data stored using this key can be decrypted by anyone able to access this key.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/27/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13102 affects the Gameloft Asphalt Xtreme: Offroad Rally Racing iOS application version 1.6.0 released on August 13, 2017. This represents a critical security flaw where the application implements a hard-coded encryption key within its source code, violating fundamental principles of cryptographic security practices. The implementation directly contravenes established security guidelines that mandate the use of dynamically generated keys or secure key management mechanisms rather than static values embedded in application binaries.
The technical flaw manifests through the application's reliance on a fixed encryption key that remains constant across all installations and user sessions. This hard-coded key serves as the primary mechanism for encrypting sensitive data within the application, including user preferences, game progress, and potentially personal information. When developers embed cryptographic keys directly into application code, they create an inherent weakness that can be discovered through routine reverse engineering techniques. The vulnerability falls under the category of weak cryptographic key management as classified by CWE-327, which specifically addresses the use of weak or predictable cryptographic keys.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data confidentiality breaches, creating a comprehensive security risk landscape for users of the application. Any individual with access to the application binary can extract the hard-coded key through static analysis, decompilation, or dynamic analysis techniques, enabling them to decrypt all data previously encrypted using this mechanism. This exposure compromises user privacy and potentially exposes sensitive information that the application intends to protect. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.004, which covers unsecured credentials, and represents a significant weakness in the application's data protection architecture that could be exploited by malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to user data.
The security implications of this flaw are particularly concerning given the nature of mobile gaming applications, which often collect and store user-specific information including progress data, achievements, and potentially personal identifiers. The hard-coded key essentially provides a backdoor that eliminates any meaningful encryption protection for the stored data, making it trivial for attackers to access what should remain confidential information. This vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental lack of security awareness in the development process, where cryptographic best practices were not properly implemented or enforced. Organizations implementing similar security measures should consider adopting secure key management frameworks that prevent the embedding of cryptographic keys in application code and instead utilize platform-specific secure storage mechanisms or dynamic key generation approaches. The incident highlights the importance of following security development lifecycle practices and conducting thorough code reviews to identify and remediate such critical cryptographic weaknesses before application deployment.