CVE-2021-20748 in App
Summary
by MITRE • 07/14/2021
Retty App for Android versions prior to 4.8.13 and Retty App for iOS versions prior to 4.11.14 uses a hard-coded API key for an external service. By exploiting this vulnerability, API key for an external service may be obtained by analyzing data in the app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/18/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-20748 represents a critical security flaw in the Retty mobile applications for both android and ios platforms. This weakness stems from the improper handling of authentication credentials within the application code, specifically through the use of hard-coded api keys that are embedded directly into the application binaries. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 4.8.13 for android and 4.11.14 for ios, indicating that these specific releases contained insecure coding practices that exposed sensitive authentication mechanisms to potential attackers. The presence of hard-coded credentials in mobile applications constitutes a fundamental security misconfiguration that violates established secure coding principles and best practices.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows threat actors to extract the hard-coded api key through various reverse engineering techniques and static analysis methods. Mobile application analysis tools can easily decompile the application binaries and extract the embedded credentials, particularly when these keys are stored in plaintext within the application code or configuration files. This approach to credential management bypasses normal authentication mechanisms and provides direct access to the external service associated with the api key. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hard-coded credentials in software, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which covers the use of hardcoded credentials. The extraction process typically involves examining the application's resources, strings, and compiled code segments where authentication tokens are stored.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure, as it creates potential for unauthorized access to backend services and data resources that the api key typically protects. An attacker who successfully extracts the hard-coded api key can potentially perform actions on behalf of the legitimate application, including accessing restricted data, executing unauthorized operations, and potentially escalating privileges within the service ecosystem. This exposure may lead to data breaches, service abuse, and unauthorized resource consumption that could significantly impact both the organization and end users. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on external services for core functionality, as the compromise of the api key can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data and operational disruptions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate remediation through code refactoring to eliminate hard-coded credentials and implement proper secure credential management practices. The recommended approach involves implementing dynamic credential retrieval mechanisms that obtain api keys from secure backend services rather than embedding them within the application. Organizations should deploy secure key management systems that provide credentials through secure channels and implement proper access controls for credential distribution. Additionally, mobile application developers should adopt secure coding practices that include credential obfuscation techniques, runtime verification mechanisms, and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. The solution should also incorporate regular security testing including static application security testing and dynamic analysis to prevent future occurrences of this class of vulnerability, aligning with industry standards such as those specified in the OWASP Mobile Top 10 and NIST guidelines for secure software development.