CVE-2017-2103 in LaLa Call App
Summary
by MITRE
The LaLa Call App for Android 2.4.7 and earlier does not verify X.509 certificates from SSL servers, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers and obtain sensitive information via a crafted certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2103 resides within the LaLa Call App for Android version 2.4.7 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS certificate verification mechanism. This weakness fundamentally undermines the cryptographic security assurances that users expect when communicating over secure channels, creating a dangerous exposure in the mobile application's network security architecture.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of X.509 certificate validation within the application's secure communication layer. When the LaLa Call App establishes SSL connections to remote servers, it fails to perform the essential certificate chain verification process that should confirm the server's identity and ensure the integrity of the communication channel. This omission allows attackers to craft malicious certificates that the application will accept without question, effectively bypassing the entire certificate validation infrastructure designed to protect against unauthorized access and data interception.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe attack surface that enables man-in-the-middle adversaries to completely compromise the security of communications between the mobile application and its backend services. Attackers can intercept and modify sensitive data transmitted through the application, including personal information, communication metadata, and potentially financial data if the application handles such information. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to include potential session hijacking, unauthorized service access, and complete compromise of user privacy within the application's communication framework.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this weakness maps to T1046 Network Service Scanning and T1566 Phishing, as it enables attackers to establish fraudulent communication channels that can be used to deliver malicious payloads or harvest credentials from unsuspecting users. The absence of certificate verification creates a persistent security gap that remains exploitable until the application is updated to properly implement SSL/TLS certificate validation.
The recommended mitigation strategy requires immediate implementation of proper certificate pinning mechanisms within the application, ensuring that all SSL connections verify server certificates against trusted certificate authorities and implement certificate chain validation. Organizations should also consider implementing certificate transparency checks and regular security audits of their mobile applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future releases. Additionally, users should be advised to update to the latest version of the application as soon as possible, and security teams should monitor for potential exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and intrusion detection systems.