Software Engineering Institute

When communicating via HTTPS, an application should validate the SSL chain to be sure that the certificate produced by the site was provided by a trusted root certificate authority (CA). Multiple Android applications fail to properly validate SSL certificates. Additional information can be found in the CERT Oracle Secure Coding Standard for Java:

DRD19-J. Properly verify server certificate on SSL/TLS

Details of the methodology used to test applications with CERT Tapioca are described in the CERT/CC blog.

In March 2014 the Federal Trade Commission settled charges with two vendors (Fandango and Credit Karma) for failing to securely transmit sensitive personal information. An FTC press release states that "Consumers are increasingly using mobile apps for sensitive transactions. Yet research suggests that many companies, like Fandango and Credit Karma, have failed to properly implement SSL encryption."

An attacker on the same network as the Android device may be able to view or modify network traffic that should have been protected by HTTPS. The impact varies based on what the application is doing. Possible outcomes include credential stealing or arbitrary code execution.

Apply an update

Please refer to the Android application SSL spreadsheet for details about affected applications and the availability of fixes. If you are unable to view this document, a static copy of the spreadsheet is available here: Android apps that fail to validate SSL.xlsx

If fixes are not available for your application, please consider the following workarounds:

Do not use affected applications

Many Android applications are unnecessary in that the content they provide access to is available via other means. For example, while a bank may provide an Android application for accessing its resources, those same resources are usually available by using a web browser. By using a web browser to access those resources, you can help avoid situations where SSL may not be validated.

Avoid untrusted networks

Avoid using untrusted networks, including public WiFi. Using your device on an untrusted network increases the chance of falling victim to a MITM attack.