CVE-2017-9564 in App
Summary
by MITRE
The community-banks-cb2go/id445828071 app 3.1.3 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 • 10/18/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9564 affects the community-banks-cb2go/id445828071 mobile application version 3.1.3 for iOS devices. This represents a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols 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 X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS handshakes, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise the security of sensitive user data.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's improper handling of certificate verification processes within its secure communication framework. When establishing encrypted connections to backend servers, the mobile application fails to perform mandatory certificate validation checks that should confirm the authenticity and trustworthiness of the server's digital certificate. This flaw allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, effectively bypassing the security mechanisms designed to protect against unauthorized access and data interception.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates severe implications for both user privacy and organizational security. Attackers capable of intercepting network traffic between the mobile application and its servers can manipulate communications, steal sensitive information including personal identification details, financial data, and authentication credentials, and potentially gain unauthorized access to user accounts. The impact extends beyond individual user privacy concerns to encompass potential financial fraud, identity theft, and corporate data breaches that could result in significant regulatory compliance violations and reputational damage.
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 industry standards such as the OWASP Mobile Security Project. From an attack framework perspective, this weakness maps directly to ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel" and T1566, covering "Phishing for Information", as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access and extract sensitive data from compromised user accounts. The vulnerability also demonstrates characteristics consistent with the MITRE ATT&CK framework's T1557, which addresses "Adversary-in-the-Middle" techniques that exploit weak certificate validation mechanisms to intercept communications.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating the vulnerable application to a version that properly implements certificate validation, deploying network monitoring tools to detect suspicious certificate behavior, and establishing comprehensive security awareness training for users about potential phishing and social engineering attacks. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough network security assessments to identify other potentially vulnerable applications and implement certificate pinning mechanisms where appropriate. The remediation process should also include regular security testing and vulnerability assessments to ensure that similar issues do not persist in future application versions or related software components.