CVE-2023-41372 in ctrlX HMI Web Panel WR21
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
The vulnerability allows an unprivileged (untrusted) third- party application to arbitrary modify the server settings of the Android Client application, inducing it to connect to an attacker - controlled malicious server.This is possible by forging a valid broadcast intent encrypted with a hardcoded RSA key pair
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/17/2023
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Android client applications that enables unprivileged third-party applications to manipulate server configuration settings through forged broadcast intents. The weakness stems from the application's reliance on a hardcoded RSA key pair for intent encryption, creating a fundamental cryptographic vulnerability that undermines the integrity of the client-server communication framework. The flaw allows malicious actors to construct and send broadcast intents that appear legitimate to the target application, thereby enabling unauthorized modification of critical network configuration parameters.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the predictable nature of hardcoded cryptographic keys within the Android application's security architecture. When third-party applications send broadcast intents, the system validates these messages using the hardcoded RSA key pair, which serves as both the encryption and decryption mechanism. This design flaw means that any attacker who can obtain the public key can generate valid encrypted intents that will be accepted by the target application as legitimate communications. The vulnerability specifically affects the Android Client application's intent handling mechanism, where broadcast intents are processed without proper authentication of the sending application's trust level.
Operationally, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for organizations relying on Android client applications for secure communications, as it allows attackers to redirect the application to connect to malicious servers controlled by threat actors. The impact extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables full manipulation of the application's network behavior and potentially allows for man-in-the-middle attacks, data exfiltration, and service disruption. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no privileged access or root capabilities from the attacking application, making it accessible to any third-party application installed on the device.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-310 (Cryptographic Issues) and CWE-295 (Improper Certificate Validation) categories, representing a failure in proper cryptographic implementation and key management practices. From an attack perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1566 (Phishing) within the adversary tactics and techniques framework. The hardcoded RSA key pair represents a fundamental security misconfiguration that violates industry best practices for cryptographic key management as outlined in NIST SP 800-57 and ISO/IEC 15408 standards. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including dynamic key generation, proper intent validation mechanisms, and regular security assessments to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.