CVE-2018-0611 in ANA App
Summary
by MITRE
The ANA App for iOS version 4.0.22 and earlier 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 • 02/22/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0611 affects the ANA App for iOS versions 4.0.22 and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism. This weakness stems from the application's failure to properly verify X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications. The vulnerability creates a significant attack surface that enables malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting crafted certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. This flaw directly violates fundamental security principles of secure communication and certificate-based authentication that are essential for protecting sensitive data transmission between mobile applications and backend services.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the application's cryptographic handshake process where it fails to validate certificate chains, check certificate expiration dates, or verify certificate signatures against trusted root authorities. According to CWE-295, this represents a weakness in certificate validation where the application does not properly validate X.509 certificates, making it susceptible to attacks that exploit the trust model of public key infrastructure. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001 which describes the use of unencrypted communications to capture credentials and sensitive information. When an attacker successfully executes a man-in-the-middle attack through this vulnerability, they can intercept and modify all data transmitted between the application and its servers, potentially accessing user credentials, personal information, financial data, or other sensitive payloads that the application handles during normal operation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception to encompass complete session hijacking and credential theft capabilities. Mobile banking applications, travel booking platforms, and any service that relies on secure communication channels are particularly at risk when vulnerable applications fail to validate certificates properly. The attack vector requires minimal sophistication as attackers can leverage existing tools to generate and present fraudulent certificates that appear valid to the vulnerable application. This vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality guarantees that users expect when using mobile applications, potentially leading to financial losses, identity theft, and privacy violations. Organizations using the ANA App for iOS must consider the broader implications for their security posture, as this vulnerability could enable attackers to compromise not just individual user sessions but potentially access backend systems through the application's communication channels.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-0611 require immediate application updates to implement proper certificate validation mechanisms. The fix should include implementing certificate pinning for critical endpoints, enforcing certificate chain validation, and ensuring proper expiration date checking. Organizations should also consider deploying network-based monitoring to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks and implement additional authentication layers. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications, aligning with security best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-52 and OWASP Mobile Top 10. Additionally, developers should implement certificate validation using established libraries and frameworks rather than custom implementations to avoid similar vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar certificate validation weaknesses in other applications and systems within the organization's infrastructure.