CVE-2017-9584 in Mobile Banking App
Summary
by MITRE
The "HBO Mobile Banking" by Heritage Bank of Ozarks app 3.0.0 -- aka hbo-mobile-banking/id860224933 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-2017-9584 affects the HBO Mobile Banking application version 3.0.0 developed by Heritage Bank of Ozarks for iOS devices. This represents a critical security flaw in the mobile banking application's implementation of secure communication protocols. The application fails to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack vector that undermines the fundamental security assurances typically provided by encrypted communication channels. This weakness exposes users to severe risks when conducting financial transactions through the mobile platform, as the application cannot distinguish between legitimate and malicious server endpoints.
The technical flaw stems from the application's improper handling of SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the iOS environment. When the mobile banking application establishes secure connections to backend servers, it does not perform the necessary verification steps required to confirm certificate authenticity. This omission allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The certificate verification process typically involves checking certificate chains, validating issuer information, verifying digital signatures, and ensuring certificates have not expired or been revoked. In this case, the application bypasses these crucial validation steps entirely, creating a trust boundary that can be easily compromised.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to actively manipulate financial transactions and access sensitive user information. Mobile banking applications process highly confidential data including account numbers, transaction histories, personal identification details, and authentication credentials. When certificate verification is disabled, attackers can establish fake server endpoints that appear legitimate to the application, allowing them to capture login credentials, transaction details, and other sensitive information. This vulnerability directly violates industry security standards and best practices for mobile application security, particularly concerning secure communication protocols and certificate validation.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, and represents a clear violation of the principle of secure communication. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a credential access technique through network sniffing and man-in-the-middle attacks, where adversaries exploit weak SSL/TLS implementations to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The impact is particularly severe in mobile banking contexts where users expect robust security protections for their financial data. Organizations implementing mobile banking solutions must ensure proper certificate validation mechanisms are in place to maintain trust and prevent unauthorized access to financial information. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of adhering to established security frameworks and implementing comprehensive certificate validation procedures in mobile applications handling sensitive financial data.
Recommended mitigations include implementing proper X.509 certificate validation mechanisms that verify certificate chains, check issuer information, validate digital signatures, and ensure certificates are within their validity period. Organizations should also implement certificate pinning techniques to further strengthen trust boundaries. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in mobile applications. Additionally, implementing proper logging and monitoring of SSL/TLS connections can help detect potential attacks targeting certificate validation weaknesses. The application should be updated to ensure all certificate validation checks are properly implemented and tested in production environments.