CVE-2017-8935 in Information Systems Indiana Voters App
Summary
by MITRE
The Quest Information Systems Indiana Voters app 1.1.24 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 • 09/26/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8935 affects the Quest Information Systems Indiana Voters mobile application version 1.1.24 for iOS devices. This represents a critical security flaw in the application's secure communication implementation that directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted between the mobile client and remote servers. The issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates, creating an exploitable condition that undermines the fundamental security assurances provided by Transport Layer Security protocols. Mobile applications that handle sensitive voter information must maintain strict certificate validation procedures to prevent unauthorized access and data interception.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of X.509 certificate verification within the application's network communication stack. When the iOS application establishes secure connections to backend servers, it fails to perform the essential certificate chain validation steps that should confirm the server's identity and ensure the connection's authenticity. This omission allows attackers to deploy malicious certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, effectively bypassing the security mechanisms designed to protect sensitive voter data. The vulnerability specifically affects the certificate validation process, which should normally include checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate authorities, and ensuring proper certificate chain integrity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and directly threatens the security of sensitive voter information managed by the Indiana Voters application. Attackers capable of performing man-in-the-middle attacks can intercept and manipulate communications between the mobile application and servers, potentially gaining access to personal voter registration data, voting preferences, and other confidential information. This weakness enables adversaries to impersonate legitimate servers and establish fraudulent communication channels that the application cannot distinguish from genuine secure connections. The potential for data theft, identity fraud, and election-related security breaches makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for electoral systems and voter privacy protection.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating the application to a version that properly validates SSL/TLS certificates, implementing certificate pinning mechanisms, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of mobile applications handling sensitive data. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295 which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices outlined in industry standards. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1041 which covers "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel" and T1566 which covers "Phishing" as attackers can exploit this weakness to establish persistent access to voter databases. The security community should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect unusual certificate validation patterns and ensure proper certificate management practices are maintained across all mobile applications processing sensitive information.