CVE-2017-5906 in Everyday Health Diabetes in Check
Summary
by MITRE
The Everyday Health Diabetes in Check: Blood Glucose & Carb Tracker app 3.4.2 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 • 12/29/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5906 represents a critical security flaw in the Everyday Health Diabetes in Check: Blood Glucose & Carb Tracker mobile application version 3.4.2 for iOS devices. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS communications, creating a significant attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability specifically affects the app's secure communication protocols, which are essential for protecting sensitive health information including blood glucose levels, carbohydrate intake data, and personal medical records that users entrust to the application.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's implementation of SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms. When an iOS application establishes secure connections to remote servers, it should verify the server's X.509 certificate against a trusted certificate authority to ensure the authenticity of the communication endpoint. However, the Everyday Health application fails to perform this crucial verification step, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This flaw falls under the category of improper certificate validation as defined by CWE-295, which specifically addresses weaknesses in certificate validation processes that can lead to man-in-the-middle attacks and unauthorized data access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally undermines the security model that users expect from healthcare applications. Mobile health applications like this diabetes tracker handle highly sensitive personal health information that requires robust security protections under various regulatory frameworks including HIPAA in the United States. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can establish man-in-the-middle positions between the mobile application and its backend servers, potentially modifying or intercepting user data including blood glucose measurements, medication logs, and dietary tracking information. This capability enables attackers to not only steal sensitive health data but also to inject malicious data that could potentially impact patient care decisions or lead to unauthorized access to healthcare services.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1041 technique for Exfiltration, where attackers can use compromised applications to extract sensitive data from mobile devices. Additionally, the weakness enables techniques similar to T1566 for credential access and T1071 for application layer protocol usage, as attackers can manipulate the communication channels to gain unauthorized access to user accounts and health records. The vulnerability particularly affects healthcare applications that handle sensitive patient data, making it a prime target for adversaries seeking to exploit the trust relationships established between mobile applications and their backend services.
Organizations and users should implement immediate mitigations including updating to the latest version of the application where certificate validation has been properly implemented, as well as monitoring network traffic for suspicious activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing network-based monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous SSL/TLS traffic patterns and certificate mismatches that may indicate active exploitation of this vulnerability. The recommended remediation approach involves ensuring that all mobile applications handling sensitive health information implement proper certificate pinning mechanisms and validate server certificates against trusted certificate authorities. This vulnerability underscores the critical importance of secure coding practices in mobile health applications and demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws can lead to significant security breaches in applications handling sensitive personal health information.