CVE-2014-2001 in JR East Japan
Summary
by MITRE
The East Japan Railway Company JR East Japan application before 1.2.0 for Android does not verify X.509 certificates from SSL servers, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to obtain sensitive information via a crafted certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-2001 affects the East Japan Railway Company JR East Japan mobile application running on Android platforms. This security flaw resides in the application's implementation of SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms, specifically within the X.509 certificate verification process. The application fails to properly validate server certificates, creating a critical security gap that undermines the integrity of encrypted communications between the mobile client and backend servers.
This vulnerability represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's cryptographic security implementation, where the software accepts any X.509 certificate without proper validation checks. The flaw enables man-in-the-middle attack scenarios where malicious actors can intercept communications by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The technical nature of this issue aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications, and specifically relates to CWE-310, concerning cryptographic issues that weaken security protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it exposes sensitive user data and communications to unauthorized interception. Mobile users of the JR East Japan application could have their personal information, payment details, and other confidential data compromised during transmission. Attackers could exploit this weakness to eavesdrop on communications, potentially accessing user accounts, transaction records, or other sensitive operational data. The vulnerability particularly affects users in environments where network traffic interception is possible, such as public wifi networks or corporate networks with compromised infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating the application to version 1.2.0 or later, which presumably includes proper certificate validation mechanisms. Security teams must also consider network-level protections such as certificate pinning to prevent the acceptance of unauthorized certificates. The remediation process should involve comprehensive code review of SSL/TLS implementation, ensuring proper certificate chain validation, and implementing robust error handling for certificate validation failures. Additionally, regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other mobile applications and network services, following best practices outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and NIST guidelines for mobile application security.