CVE-2020-5799 in Eat Spray Love mobile App
Summary
by MITRE • 12/07/2020
The Eat Spray Love mobile app for both iOS and Android contains a backdoor account that, when modified, allowed privileged access to restricted functionality and to other users' data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2020
The CVE-2020-5799 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the Eat Spray Love mobile application affecting both ios and android platforms. This vulnerability manifests through the presence of a backdoor account within the application's codebase, which serves as an unauthorized access mechanism that bypasses normal authentication protocols. The backdoor account was not intended for public use and represents a significant design flaw in the application's security architecture. The vulnerability's existence indicates poor secure coding practices and inadequate security testing during the application development lifecycle, potentially violating industry standards such as those outlined in cwe-254 which addresses weak security controls and cwe-798 which deals with hardcoded credentials.
The technical implementation of this backdoor account allows attackers who possess the credentials to gain privileged access to the application's restricted functionality and user data. This backdoor operates by providing a hardcoded account with elevated privileges that can be used to bypass standard authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability enables unauthorized access to sensitive user information including personal data, account details, and potentially communication records. The operational impact extends beyond simple data theft as this backdoor could allow attackers to manipulate user accounts, access private communications, and potentially perform actions that would normally require legitimate user authentication. The vulnerability represents a fundamental breach in the application's security model and could be exploited to compromise the privacy and security of all users within the application's ecosystem.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates a critical failure in the application's access control mechanisms and authentication protocols. Attackers could potentially use the backdoor account to access other users' data, creating a scenario where multiple users' personal information becomes compromised through a single unauthorized access point. This vulnerability also raises concerns about the application's overall security posture and suggests that proper security testing, including penetration testing and code reviews, was not adequately performed. The presence of such a backdoor indicates a potential violation of the principle of least privilege and could be classified under attack techniques such as those described in the attack framework under initial access and privilege escalation categories. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as a potential indicator of broader security issues within their mobile application development processes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-5799 require immediate action including the removal of the hardcoded backdoor account from the application code and implementation of proper authentication and access control mechanisms. Security teams should conduct comprehensive code reviews to identify any additional hardcoded credentials or backdoor mechanisms that may exist within the application. The application should be updated to implement proper secure coding practices including dynamic authentication mechanisms and regular security testing. Organizations should also consider implementing runtime application self-protection measures and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of adhering to secure development lifecycle practices and implementing proper security controls throughout the application development process. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other applications within the organization's portfolio.