Add an Android counterpart to MASTG-TEST-0211 for broken hashing algorithms #3933

Description

The MASTG v2 Android test set appears to be missing an atomic test for the use of broken hashing algorithms, equivalent to the iOS MASTG-TEST-0211: Broken Hashing Algorithms.

For example, the current Android v2 tests do not appear to detect security-sensitive uses such as:

MessageDigest.getInstance("MD5");
MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA-1");

Background

The deprecated Android MASTG-TEST-0014 had a broad scope. It instructed testers to identify cryptographic primitives including MessageDigest and to verify them against the guidance for insecure and deprecated algorithms.

Issue #2949 was created to port MASTG-TEST-0014 from v1 to v2.

An initial attempt in #3064 decomposed the broad v1 test into multiple atomic tests and included a draft named Weak Hashing Algorithms. However, that PR remains an open draft and the hashing test was not merged.

Later, #3551 ported only the explicit security-provider portion of MASTG-TEST-0014. It introduced MASTG-TEST-0312 and closed #2949.

MASTG-TEST-0312 checks whether an app explicitly supplies a JCA security provider. It does not evaluate the selected hashing algorithm. Consequently, a call such as MessageDigest.getInstance("MD5") uses the default provider and is outside its scope.

The old MASTG-TEST-0014 is now marked as deprecated and covered by MASTG-TEST-0312, although the latter covers only the provider-related portion of the old test. This seems to have left the broken-hashing portion without a corresponding Android v2 test or a separate tracking issue.

Proposed test

Add an atomic Android MASVS-CRYPTO test equivalent in purpose to MASTG-TEST-0211. It should:

• identify hashing APIs such as java.security.MessageDigest.getInstance;
• explicitly cover broken algorithms such as MD5 and SHA-1, including their common JCA aliases;
• consider third-party and native cryptographic implementations where applicable;
• require contextual validation to distinguish security-sensitive hashing from non-security uses such as ordinary checksums;
• map to the same applicable weakness as the iOS counterpart;
• include a demo and/or static-analysis rule if appropriate.

The metadata of MASTG-TEST-0014 could also be updated to indicate partial coverage or to reference both MASTG-TEST-0312 and the new hashing test.

Related items

• MASTG v1->v2 MASTG-TEST-0014: Testing the Configuration of Cryptographic Standard Algorithms (android) #2949
• Add new tests about Configuration of Cryptographic Standard Algorithms (android) (by @guardsquare) #3064
• Port MASTG-TEST-0014 to v2: Add explicit security provider detection #3551
• MASTG-TEST-0014
• MASTG-TEST-0211
• MASTG-TEST-0312