CVE-2018-18908 in Go Desktop Application
Summary
by MITRE
The Sky Go Desktop application 1.0.19-1 through 1.0.23-1 for Windows performs several requests over cleartext HTTP. This makes the data submitted in these requests prone to Man in The Middle (MiTM) attacks, whereby an attacker would be able to obtain the data sent in these requests. Some of the requests contain potentially sensitive information that could be useful to an attacker, such as the victim's Sky username.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/03/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-18908 affects the Sky Go Desktop application version 1.0.19-1 through 1.0.23-1 on Windows platforms, representing a critical security flaw that exposes users to significant risks. This issue stems from the application's improper handling of network communications by utilizing cleartext HTTP protocols for multiple request operations, which fundamentally undermines the confidentiality and integrity of transmitted data. The implementation violates established security best practices and creates an exploitable attack surface that directly conflicts with industry standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks. The vulnerability manifests as an insufficient transport layer protection weakness that allows attackers to intercept and manipulate network traffic without requiring advanced technical capabilities.
The technical flaw in this vulnerability resides in the application's failure to implement secure communication protocols for its network requests, specifically utilizing unencrypted HTTP connections instead of HTTPS. This design decision creates a persistent exposure that affects multiple request operations within the application's communication stack, where sensitive information flows through insecure channels. The implementation directly corresponds to CWE-319, which defines the weakness of cleartext transmission of sensitive information, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and secure communication practices. The vulnerability is classified under the MITRE ATT&CK framework as a technique for credential access through network sniffing and man-in-the-middle attacks, where adversaries can intercept and exfiltrate sensitive data without detection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it creates multiple attack vectors that can be leveraged by threat actors to compromise user accounts and personal information. When users authenticate through the Sky Go Desktop application, their credentials and potentially other sensitive data are transmitted over unencrypted channels, making them susceptible to interception by malicious actors on the same network segment. This exposure particularly affects users in public Wi-Fi environments or corporate networks where network monitoring is prevalent. The vulnerability enables attackers to obtain Sky usernames and potentially other account-related information, which can be used for further credential-based attacks, account takeovers, or social engineering operations. The impact is amplified by the fact that these applications often operate with elevated privileges and may cache authentication tokens, creating additional attack surfaces for exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar issues. The primary recommendation involves implementing mandatory HTTPS encryption for all network communications within the application, ensuring that all requests are transmitted over secure channels with proper certificate validation. This aligns with the NIST SP 800-52 standard for secure socket layer implementation and requires the application to enforce TLS 1.2 or higher protocols with strong cipher suites. Additionally, developers should implement certificate pinning mechanisms to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks that might attempt to substitute certificates, as outlined in the OWASP Mobile Top 10 security guidelines. Network administrators should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts, while users should be educated about the risks of using public networks with applications that do not properly secure their communications. The vulnerability also necessitates a comprehensive review of all network communication patterns within the application to identify and remediate any additional cleartext transmission issues, ensuring compliance with security standards such as those defined in ISO 27001 and the CIS Critical Security Controls.