CVE-2017-5590 in ChatSecure
Summary
by MITRE
An incorrect implementation of "XEP-0280: Message Carbons" in multiple XMPP clients allows a remote attacker to impersonate any user, including contacts, in the vulnerable application's display. This allows for various kinds of social engineering attacks. This CVE is for ChatSecure (3.2.0 - 4.0.0; only iOS) and Zom (all versions up to 1.0.11; only iOS).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/12/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2017-5590 represents a critical implementation flaw in XMPP clients that affects the Message Carbons protocol as defined in XEP-0280. This protocol is designed to enable message synchronization across multiple devices for a single user account, allowing messages sent from one device to be automatically delivered to other connected devices. The flaw manifests in ChatSecure versions 3.2.0 through 4.0.0 and Zom versions up to 1.0.11 specifically on iOS platforms, creating a security weakness that fundamentally compromises user identity verification within the messaging application.
The technical implementation error stems from how these clients handle incoming message carbons, particularly in the parsing and display logic for message metadata. When a malicious attacker can manipulate the carbon message structure, they gain the ability to modify the displayed sender information, making it appear as though messages originate from any user in the contact list, including trusted contacts. This vulnerability operates at the application layer, exploiting weaknesses in the message processing pipeline where the client should validate the authenticity of sender information before rendering it to the user interface. The flaw essentially allows for the bypass of normal message authentication mechanisms that should prevent such spoofing.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple message manipulation, creating significant opportunities for social engineering attacks that can compromise user trust and security. An attacker can craft convincing impersonation scenarios where they appear to be communicating with contacts, potentially leading to unauthorized access attempts, information disclosure, or manipulation of user behavior through deceptive messaging patterns. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates silently in the background, with users unknowingly accepting false message origins as legitimate communications, potentially leading to successful phishing attempts or other malicious activities that exploit the trust relationship between users and their contacts.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-345 Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity, specifically addressing the failure to properly validate message source information in the context of XMPP protocol implementation. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this weakness enables techniques categorized under T1566 Phishing and T1078 Valid Accounts, as attackers can leverage the impersonation capability to conduct targeted attacks against users while maintaining the appearance of legitimate communication channels. The attack surface is limited to iOS platforms where these specific clients are deployed, but the impact is significant due to the nature of instant messaging and the trust users place in their communication applications. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including client updates, user education about suspicious message patterns, and network-level monitoring to detect anomalous message carbon behavior.
The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of message authentication within the XMPP client implementation, where the application fails to validate that carbon messages originate from legitimate sources before displaying them. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the security model of these messaging applications, where the assumption of message authenticity is not properly enforced during the rendering process. The vulnerability exists because the clients do not adequately verify the cryptographic signatures or authentication tokens that should accompany message carbons, allowing attackers to inject malicious carbon messages that appear legitimate to end users. This issue highlights the importance of proper protocol implementation and the necessity of thorough security testing for messaging applications that handle sensitive user communications.