Cheetahmobile CM Launcher 3D - Theme, wallpaper, Secure, Efficient, 5.0.3, 2017-09-19, Android application uses a hard-coded key for encryption

Vulnerability

Cheetahmobile CM Launcher 3D - Theme, wallpaper, Secure, Efficient, version 5.0.3 (released 2017-09-19), contains a hard-coded encryption key used to encrypt data within the application [1]. This key is static and embedded in the app binary, meaning any data encrypted with it can be decrypted by anyone who extracts the key.

Exploitation

An attacker needs to obtain the hard-coded key, which is present in the app's code. Once the key is extracted (e.g., by decompiling the APK), the attacker can decrypt any data that was encrypted by the app without requiring authentication or network access. The attack does not require user interaction beyond the victim having used the app to encrypt data.

Impact

Successful exploitation results in the disclosure of all data encrypted by the app using the hard-coded key. This could include sensitive user information such as personal files, credentials, or other private data stored by the launcher.

Mitigation

No official fix has been released as of the publication date (2018-08-15). Users should consider uninstalling the app or avoiding the storage of sensitive data using CM Launcher 3D until a patched version is provided.