CVE-2019-7399 in Fire OS
Summary
by MITRE
Amazon Fire OS before 5.3.6.4 allows a man-in-the-middle attack against HTTP requests for "Terms of Use" and Privacy pages.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2023
Amazon Fire OS versions prior to 5.3.6.4 contain a critical security vulnerability that enables man-in-the-middle attacks against specific HTTP requests for Terms of Use and Privacy pages. This vulnerability stems from insufficient transport layer security implementation within the operating system's web browsing components. The flaw allows attackers positioned between the device and web servers to intercept and potentially modify HTTP traffic without proper authentication or encryption verification. The affected system components process these specific web requests without implementing robust certificate validation mechanisms, creating an attack surface that adversaries can exploit to gain unauthorized access to sensitive user data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the network security protocols used by Amazon Fire OS for handling web communications. Specifically, the operating system fails to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates when establishing connections to web servers hosting Terms of Use and Privacy documents. This weakness aligns with CWE-295 which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols. The vulnerability manifests when the system attempts to fetch these specific web pages without enforcing proper certificate pinning or chain validation procedures. Attackers can leverage this flaw by positioning themselves in the network path to perform certificate substitution attacks, allowing them to impersonate legitimate web servers hosting these critical documents.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception as it specifically targets user agreements and privacy policies that often contain sensitive information about data collection practices and user rights. An attacker could potentially modify these documents in transit, leading to misinformation campaigns or malicious redirections that could compromise user trust and understanding of their privacy rights. The vulnerability affects all Amazon Fire OS devices running versions earlier than 5.3.6.4, making it particularly concerning given the widespread deployment of these operating systems on mobile devices and tablets. This weakness creates opportunities for attackers to perform credential harvesting, session hijacking, or data exfiltration through the compromised communication channels.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability require immediate system updates to Amazon Fire OS version 5.3.6.4 or later, which implements proper certificate validation procedures for HTTP requests. Organizations should also implement network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate man-in-the-middle activity. The fix addresses the root cause by strengthening the SSL/TLS validation process and implementing certificate pinning for critical web resources. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1041 which covers data compression and encryption, and T1566 which involves credential access through social engineering. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls and deep packet inspection to provide defense-in-depth against similar attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper certificate validation in mobile operating systems and highlights the need for continuous security updates in consumer device operating systems to prevent exploitation of transport layer security weaknesses.