CVE-2021-21385
📋 TL;DR
The Mifos-Mobile Android application before commit e505f62 disabled HTTPS hostname verification and accepted any self-signed certificate, allowing man-in-the-middle attacks. This vulnerability enables attackers to intercept and potentially modify communications between the app and the MifosX Self-Service platform. All users of Mifos-Mobile Android app versions before the fix are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Mifos-Mobile Android Application for MifosX
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers can intercept all HTTPS traffic, steal authentication credentials, inject malicious content, and manipulate financial transactions in the MifosX platform.
Likely Case
Attackers on the same network can intercept user credentials and sensitive financial data, potentially leading to account compromise and data theft.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and certificate pinning, risk is limited to specific network segments where attackers have access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires network access to intercept traffic, but the vulnerability itself is simple to exploit using standard MITM tools.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Commit e505f62 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/openMF/mifos-mobile/security/advisories/GHSA-9657-33wf-rmvx
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update to Mifos-Mobile version with commit e505f62 or later. 2. Rebuild the application from source if using custom builds. 3. Distribute updated APK to all users.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allRestrict app usage to trusted networks only
Certificate Pinning
androidImplement certificate pinning in custom builds
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict app usage to secure, trusted networks only
- Implement network monitoring for unusual certificate activity
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check app version/build date against commit e505f62 (2021-03-15). Apps built before this date are vulnerable.Check Version:
Check app version in Android settings > Apps > Mifos-MobileVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the app enforces HTTPS hostname verification and rejects self-signed certificates from untrusted sources.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual certificate validation failures
- Multiple connection attempts with different certificates
Network Indicators:
- MITM tools like mitmproxy intercepting traffic
- Self-signed certificates in HTTPS traffic
SIEM Query:
Search for network traffic patterns showing certificate validation bypass or self-signed certificate acceptance🔗 References
- https://github.com/openMF/mifos-mobile/commit/e505f62b92b19292bfdabd6e996ab76abfeaa90d
- https://github.com/openMF/mifos-mobile/security/advisories/GHSA-9657-33wf-rmvx
- https://openmf.github.io/mobileapps.github.io/
- https://github.com/openMF/mifos-mobile/commit/e505f62b92b19292bfdabd6e996ab76abfeaa90d
- https://github.com/openMF/mifos-mobile/security/advisories/GHSA-9657-33wf-rmvx
- https://openmf.github.io/mobileapps.github.io/
