CVE-2017-5902 in PayQuicker
Summary
by MITRE
The PayQuicker app 1.0.0 for iOS 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 • 09/24/2020
The CVE-2017-5902 vulnerability affects the PayQuicker mobile application version 1.0.0 on iOS platforms, representing a critical security flaw in the application's cryptographic implementation. This vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS communications, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The flaw essentially disables the certificate pinning mechanism that should protect against unauthorized server authentication, leaving users vulnerable to sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks where attackers can seamlessly impersonate legitimate servers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the application's SSL/TLS handshake process where it fails to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification. According to CWE-295, this represents a weakness in certificate validation that allows for certificate spoofing and trust assertion bypass. The vulnerability enables attackers to generate or obtain fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application, thereby allowing them to intercept, modify, or steal sensitive information transmitted between the mobile application and its backend servers. This flaw directly violates the fundamental security principles of secure communication and data integrity that are essential for financial applications handling sensitive user data and transactions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the PayQuicker application and potentially exposes users to financial fraud, identity theft, and other malicious activities. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform session hijacking, capture authentication credentials, and access sensitive user information including personal identification details, financial account information, and transaction records. The implications are particularly severe for a payment application where users trust the system to protect their financial data, making this vulnerability a prime target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit financial applications for monetary gain.
Organizations and security professionals should address this vulnerability through immediate patching of the application, implementation of proper certificate pinning mechanisms, and deployment of network monitoring solutions to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks. The remediation process should include enforcing strict certificate validation procedures that align with industry standards such as those defined in the NIST SP 800-57 and ISO/IEC 15408. Additionally, implementing the ATT&CK framework's T1046 technique for network service scanning and T1566 for credential access can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices and proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications, particularly those handling sensitive financial data, as highlighted in the OWASP Mobile Top 10 and the Mobile Security Project's security guidelines.