CVE-2026-54373 in VitaFit
Summary
by MITRE • 11/05/2026
VitaFit Android application (com.vt.vitafit) before 2.8.1.0 contains a cleartext traffic vulnerability that allows network-based attackers to intercept or modify unencrypted HTTP communications due to the absence of an Android network security configuration. Attackers on an untrusted network can manipulate support content displayed to the user by tampering with unencrypted HTTP traffic between the app and server.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2026
The VitaFit Android application, specifically versions prior to 2.8.1.0, suffers from a critical misconfiguration that permits cleartext traffic over insecure network connections. This vulnerability stems directly from the absence of an Android Network Security Configuration file within the application package. In modern Android development, it is standard practice to explicitly define security policies in XML configuration files to enforce encrypted communications via HTTPS and disable legacy or unencrypted HTTP protocols by default. Without this explicit declaration, the Android operating system falls back to its permissive defaults for older API levels or specific configurations that allow plaintext data transmission over TCP/IP networks. This architectural oversight creates a significant attack surface where sensitive user data can be exposed during transit between the mobile client and remote servers hosting support content and other application services.
From an operational perspective, this flaw enables network-based attackers positioned on untrusted networks to perform man-in-the-middle attacks with relative ease. By intercepting the HTTP traffic flowing from the VitaFit app to its backend infrastructure, adversaries can read sensitive information such as user credentials, personal health data, or session tokens if transmitted in plaintext. Furthermore, because the communication channel lacks integrity checks enforced by encryption protocols like TLS, attackers are not limited to passive eavesdropping; they possess the capability to actively modify the content displayed to the end-user. This manipulation could involve injecting malicious advertisements, altering support articles with phishing links, or redirecting users to compromised websites designed to steal additional credentials or install malware on the device. The lack of transport layer security means there is no cryptographic verification that the data received originated from a legitimate server and has not been altered in transit.
This vulnerability aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-319, which classifies cleartext transmission of sensitive information as a distinct security risk. Additionally, it maps to several techniques within the MITRE ATT&CK framework for mobile platforms, particularly T1048 (Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol) and T1572 (Protocol Tunneling), although in this context, the primary concern is the interception and modification of unencrypted traffic rather than sophisticated tunneling. The failure to enforce HTTPS represents a fundamental deviation from secure coding standards recommended by OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard MASVS-STORAGE-4 and MASVS-NETWORK-1, which mandate that all network communications must be encrypted using strong cryptographic algorithms unless explicitly justified otherwise for specific legacy compatibility scenarios with appropriate mitigations in place.
To remediate this vulnerability, developers must implement a comprehensive Android Network Security Configuration file within the application's resources directory. This configuration should set the default settings to require cleartext traffic only if absolutely necessary and even then restrict it to trusted domains using domain-specific overrides. However, for an application handling user support content and potentially sensitive data, the recommended approach is to completely disable cleartext traffic by setting android:usesCleartextTraffic to false in the manifest or via a network security config that enforces TLS 1.2 or higher across all connections. Furthermore, developers should implement certificate pinning as an additional layer of defense to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks even if the underlying transport encryption is compromised or if users install malicious root certificates on their devices. Updating the application to version 2.8.1.0 or later resolves this issue by incorporating these necessary security configurations into the build process, thereby ensuring that all communications are encrypted and integrity-protected against interception and tampering.