CVE-2026-4250: Albert Health Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2026-4250 Overview

A vulnerability was discovered in Albert Health (Albert Sağlık Hizmetleri ve Ticaret) Android application up to version 1.7.3 that involves the unprotected storage of Google Cloud Service Account credentials. The vulnerability exists in the resources/assets/service-account.json file within the Google Cloud Service Account Key Handler component, where sensitive credentials are stored insecurely within the application package.

Critical Impact

Exposed Google Cloud Service Account keys could enable unauthorized access to cloud resources and sensitive healthcare data if an attacker extracts the credentials from the application.

Affected Products

• Albert Health Android Application versions up to 1.7.3
• Google Cloud Service Account Key Handler component
• Applications using the affected resources/assets/service-account.json file

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-16 - CVE CVE-2026-4250 published to NVD
• 2026-03-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-4250

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-255 (Credentials Management Errors), representing an insecure data storage issue in a mobile healthcare application. The affected Android application stores Google Cloud Service Account credentials in plain text within the application assets directory, making them accessible to anyone who can decompile or extract files from the APK.

While the attack requires local access to the device or application package and involves relatively high complexity, the exposure of cloud service account credentials in a healthcare application raises significant concerns about potential unauthorized access to backend systems and patient data. The exploit has been made public, increasing the risk profile despite the technical barriers to exploitation.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper credentials management within the Android application. Instead of using secure storage mechanisms such as the Android Keystore, encrypted SharedPreferences, or retrieving credentials from a secure backend service at runtime, the developers embedded the Google Cloud Service Account key directly in the application's assets folder as service-account.json. This practice violates secure coding principles for mobile applications handling sensitive credentials.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access to the target Android device or direct access to the APK file. An attacker would need to:

1. Obtain the Albert Health APK file (via device extraction or download from app stores)
2. Extract or decompile the APK to access the resources/assets/ directory
3. Locate and retrieve the service-account.json file containing Google Cloud credentials
4. Use the extracted credentials to authenticate against Google Cloud services

The local attack vector and high complexity requirements limit mass exploitation, but a determined attacker with access to the application package could successfully extract the credentials. The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, and security analysis documentation is available through external references.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-4250

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected API calls to Google Cloud services using the exposed service account credentials
• Unusual data access patterns or unauthorized queries against Google Cloud resources
• Detection of decompiled APK artifacts or extraction tools on managed Android devices
• Service account activity from unexpected IP addresses or geographic locations

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Google Cloud audit logs for service account authentication events from unauthorized sources
• Implement anomaly detection for API usage patterns associated with the compromised service account
• Use mobile device management (MDM) solutions to detect APK tampering or extraction attempts
• Review Cloud Audit Logs for the specific service account to identify unauthorized access attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Google Cloud Access Transparency and Data Access audit logs for the affected service account
• Set up alerts for service account usage from non-whitelisted IP ranges
• Monitor for credential rotation events and ensure regular key rotation is implemented
• Implement real-time alerting for suspicious API calls using Google Cloud's Security Command Center

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-4250

Immediate Actions Required

• Rotate the exposed Google Cloud Service Account keys immediately
• Review audit logs for any unauthorized access using the compromised credentials
• Update to a patched version of the Albert Health application when available
• Consider temporarily revoking the exposed service account's permissions until remediation is complete

Patch Information

The vendor was contacted about this vulnerability but did not respond. No official patch information is currently available. Users should monitor for application updates and consider alternative security measures until a fix is released. For additional technical details, refer to the VulDB entry and the Notion Security Analysis.

Workarounds

• Rotate Google Cloud Service Account credentials and implement short-lived tokens where possible
• Restrict the service account's IAM permissions to the minimum required for application functionality
• Implement IP allowlisting for the service account to limit access to expected sources
• Consider using Google Cloud's Workload Identity Federation instead of static service account keys
• Deploy application integrity checks to detect APK tampering on managed devices

Organizations using this application should implement additional access controls and monitoring at the Google Cloud level to mitigate potential exploitation until an official fix is available.