CVE-2013-5999 in KDrive
Summary
by MITRE
Kingsoft KDrive Personal before 1.21.0.1880 on Windows does not verify X.509 certificates from SSL servers, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers and obtain sensitive information via a crafted certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-5999 affects Kingsoft KDrive Personal versions prior to 1.21.0.1880 on Windows operating systems. This represents a critical security flaw in the SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism that forms the foundation of secure communications between clients and servers. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly implement X.509 certificate verification, which is a fundamental requirement for establishing trust in encrypted communications. When an application does not validate server certificates, it creates an opening for malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship that should exist between client and server.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's inability to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification processes. X.509 certificates serve as digital passports that verify the identity of servers and establish secure communication channels through public key infrastructure. In this case, the KDrive Personal client fails to validate certificate signatures, check certificate expiration dates, or verify the certificate authority that issued the certificate. This omission allows attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable client, effectively bypassing the security mechanisms designed to protect against unauthorized access.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability exposes users to significant risks including data interception, credential theft, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. The man-in-the-middle attack vector enables adversaries to position themselves between the client and legitimate servers, decrypting and potentially modifying communications in transit. This weakness is particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where KDrive Personal might be used to access corporate resources, as it could allow attackers to obtain confidential business data, employee credentials, or proprietary information. The vulnerability undermines the core security assurances that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide.
The impact of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers data compression and encryption. Organizations using affected versions of Kingsoft KDrive Personal should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to the patched version 1.21.0.1880 or later, implementing network monitoring to detect suspicious certificate behavior, and conducting security awareness training to recognize potential man-in-the-middle attacks. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing certificate pinning mechanisms and regularly auditing SSL/TLS configurations to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper certificate validation in maintaining secure communications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of client applications that handle sensitive data.