OptionsHouse SSL Certificate Validation Failure

Fixed After Two Years

Background

The OptionsHouse mobile app has a serious security problem--it breaks HTTPS. Like many Android apps it fails to validate SSL certificates, rendering it vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.

This practice may be illegal in the USA. Two American companies were sanctioned by the FTC in 2014 for making this same error:

FTC Final Orders with Fandango and Credit Karma Provide Guidance on Mobile App Security

Testing Method

I have Burp set up as a proxy for my Genymotion Android emulator, without the PortSwigger certificate installed, so secure sites give a warning in the default Web browser:

So no HTTPS connections should be possible through the proxy.

Here's the app:

Sending test credentials:

Harvesting them from Burp via MITM attack:

Notification

I sent this message on 5-18-15:

Retest on 5-16-17

Here's the app I tested, the newest version:

 

It still breaks SSL, the same as before.

Fixed

On 7-28-17 I tested the latest version, 2.1.814 Updated on July 14, 2017, and this problem was finally fixed.
Posted 5-18-15 by Sam Bowne
Updated 5-16-17
Updated 7-28-17