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Home > CWE List > CWE-925: Improper Verification of Intent by Broadcast Receiver (4.16)  
ID

CWE-925: Improper Verification of Intent by Broadcast Receiver

Weakness ID: 925
Vulnerability Mapping: ALLOWED This CWE ID may be used to map to real-world vulnerabilities
Abstraction: Variant Variant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource.
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+ Description
The Android application uses a Broadcast Receiver that receives an Intent but does not properly verify that the Intent came from an authorized source.
+ Extended Description
Certain types of Intents, identified by action string, can only be broadcast by the operating system itself, not by third-party applications. However, when an application registers to receive these implicit system intents, it is also registered to receive any explicit intents. While a malicious application cannot send an implicit system intent, it can send an explicit intent to the target application, which may assume that any received intent is a valid implicit system intent and not an explicit intent from another application. This may lead to unintended behavior.
+ Alternate Terms
Intent Spoofing
+ Common Consequences
Section HelpThis table specifies different individual consequences associated with the weakness. The Scope identifies the application security area that is violated, while the Impact describes the negative technical impact that arises if an adversary succeeds in exploiting this weakness. The Likelihood provides information about how likely the specific consequence is expected to be seen relative to the other consequences in the list. For example, there may be high likelihood that a weakness will be exploited to achieve a certain impact, but a low likelihood that it will be exploited to achieve a different impact.
Scope Impact Likelihood
Integrity

Technical Impact: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity

Another application can impersonate the operating system and cause the software to perform an unintended action.
+ Potential Mitigations

Phase: Architecture and Design

Before acting on the Intent, check the Intent Action to make sure it matches the expected System action.
+ Relationships
Section Help This table shows the weaknesses and high level categories that are related to this weakness. These relationships are defined as ChildOf, ParentOf, MemberOf and give insight to similar items that may exist at higher and lower levels of abstraction. In addition, relationships such as PeerOf and CanAlsoBe are defined to show similar weaknesses that the user may want to explore.
+ Relevant to the view "Research Concepts" (CWE-1000)
Nature Type ID Name
ChildOf Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 940 Improper Verification of Source of a Communication Channel
+ Modes Of Introduction
Section HelpThe different Modes of Introduction provide information about how and when this weakness may be introduced. The Phase identifies a point in the life cycle at which introduction may occur, while the Note provides a typical scenario related to introduction during the given phase.
Phase Note
Architecture and Design
+ Applicable Platforms
Section HelpThis listing shows possible areas for which the given weakness could appear. These may be for specific named Languages, Operating Systems, Architectures, Paradigms, Technologies, or a class of such platforms. The platform is listed along with how frequently the given weakness appears for that instance.

Languages

Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined Prevalence)

Technologies

Class: Mobile (Undetermined Prevalence)

+ Demonstrative Examples

Example 1

The following example demonstrates the weakness.

(bad code)
Example Language: XML 
<manifest package="com.example.vulnerableApplication">
<application>
...
<receiver android:name=".ShutdownReceiver">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.ACTION_SHUTDOWN" />
</intent-filter>
</receiver>

...

</application>
</manifest>

The ShutdownReceiver class will handle the intent:

(bad code)
Example Language: Java 

...
IntentFilter filter = new IntentFilter(Intent.ACTION_SHUTDOWN);
BroadcastReceiver sReceiver = new ShutDownReceiver();
registerReceiver(sReceiver, filter);
...

public class ShutdownReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
@Override
public void onReceive(final Context context, final Intent intent) {
mainActivity.saveLocalData();
mainActivity.stopActivity();
}
}

Because the method does not confirm that the intent action is the expected system intent, any received intent will trigger the shutdown procedure, as shown here:

(attack code)
Example Language: Java 
window.location = examplescheme://method?parameter=value

An attacker can use this behavior to cause a denial of service.


+ Detection Methods

Automated Static Analysis

Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)

Effectiveness: High
+ Memberships
Section HelpThis MemberOf Relationships table shows additional CWE Categories and Views that reference this weakness as a member. This information is often useful in understanding where a weakness fits within the context of external information sources.
Nature Type ID Name
MemberOf CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 1396 Comprehensive Categorization: Access Control
+ Vulnerability Mapping Notes

Usage: ALLOWED

(this CWE ID may be used to map to real-world vulnerabilities)

Reason: Acceptable-Use

Rationale:

This CWE entry is at the Variant level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.

Comments:

Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.
+ Notes

Maintenance

This entry will be made more comprehensive in later CWE versions.
+ References
[REF-922] Erika Chin, Adrienne Porter Felt, Kate Greenwood and David Wagner. "Analyzing Inter-Application Communication in Android". 3.2.1. <http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~daw/papers/intents-mobisys11.pdf>.
+ Content History
+ Submissions
Submission Date Submitter Organization
2013-06-24
(CWE 2.5, 2013-07-17) 		CWE Content Team MITRE
+ Modifications
Modification Date Modifier Organization
2014-02-18 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Alternate_Terms, Demonstrative_Examples, Description, References
2017-11-08 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Demonstrative_Examples
2019-01-03 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Related_Attack_Patterns
2020-02-24 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Applicable_Platforms, Relationships
2022-10-13 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Relationships
2023-04-27 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Detection_Factors, Relationships
2023-06-29 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Mapping_Notes
Page Last Updated: November 19, 2024
 

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