V5: Network Communication Requirements
Control Objective
The purpose of the controls listed in this section is to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of information exchanged between the mobile app and remote service endpoints. At the very least, a mobile app must set up a secure, encrypted channel for network communication using the TLS protocol with appropriate settings. Level 2 lists additional defense-in-depth measure such as SSL pinning.
Security Verification Requirements
# | MSTG-ID | Description | L1 | L2 |
---|---|---|---|---|
5.1 | MSTG-NETWORK-1 | Data is encrypted on the network using TLS. The secure channel is used consistently throughout the app. | x | x |
5.2 | MSTG-NETWORK-2 | The TLS settings are in line with current best practices, or as close as possible if the mobile operating system does not support the recommended standards. | x | x |
5.3 | MSTG-NETWORK-3 | The app verifies the X.509 certificate of the remote endpoint when the secure channel is established. Only certificates signed by a trusted CA are accepted. | x | x |
5.4 | MSTG-NETWORK-4 | The app either uses its own certificate store, or pins the endpoint certificate or public key, and subsequently does not establish connections with endpoints that offer a different certificate or key, even if signed by a trusted CA. | x | |
5.5 | MSTG-NETWORK-5 | The app doesn't rely on a single insecure communication channel (email or SMS) for critical operations, such as enrollments and account recovery. | x | |
5.6 | MSTG-NETWORK-6 | The app only depends on up-to-date connectivity and security libraries. | x |
References
The OWASP Mobile Security Testing Guide provides detailed instructions for verifying the requirements listed in this section.
General: Testing Network Communication - https://github.com/OWASP/owasp-mstg/blob/master/Document/0x04f-Testing-Network-Communication.md
Android: Testing Network Communication - https://github.com/OWASP/owasp-mstg/blob/master/Document/0x05g-Testing-Network-Communication.md
iOS: Testing Network Communication - https://github.com/OWASP/owasp-mstg/blob/master/Document/0x06g-Testing-Network-Communication.md
For more information, see also:
OWASP Mobile Top 10: M3 (Insecure Communication) - https://owasp.org/www-project-mobile-top-10/2016-risks/m3-insecure-communication
CWE 295 (Improper Certificate Validation) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/295.html
CWE 296 (Improper Following of a Certificate's Chain of Trust) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/296.html
CWE 297 (Improper Validation of Certificate with Host Mismatch) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/297.html
CWE 298 (Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/298.html
CWE 308 (Use of Single-factor Authentication) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/308.html
CWE 319 (Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/319.html
CWE 326 (Inadequate Encryption Strength) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/326.html
CWE 327 (Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/327.html
CWE 780 (Use of RSA Algorithm without OAEP) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/780.html
CWE 940 (Improper Verification of Source of a Communication Channel) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/940.html
CWE 941 (Incorrectly Specified Destination in a Communication Channel) - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/941.html
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