CVE-2014-3522 in Subversion
Summary
by MITRE
The Serf RA layer in Apache Subversion 1.4.0 through 1.7.x before 1.7.18 and 1.8.x before 1.8.10 does not properly handle wildcards in the Common Name (CN) or subjectAltName field of the X.509 certificate, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers via a crafted certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-3522 represents a critical weakness in Apache Subversion's Serf library implementation that affects versions ranging from 1.4.0 through 1.7.x before 1.7.18 and 1.8.x before 1.8.10. This flaw resides within the Remote Administration layer of Serf, which is responsible for handling secure communication protocols between Subversion clients and servers. The issue specifically targets the certificate validation mechanism that Subversion employs when establishing secure connections using SSL/TLS protocols.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate validation of X.509 certificate subject identifiers, particularly the Common Name field and subjectAltName extensions. When Serf processes server certificates, it fails to properly validate wildcard patterns within these certificate fields, allowing attackers to craft malicious certificates that can successfully pass validation checks. This vulnerability enables man-in-the-middle attacks where adversaries can intercept and manipulate Subversion communications by presenting certificates that appear legitimate but contain crafted wildcard patterns designed to match the expected domain names.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it undermines the fundamental security guarantees of SSL/TLS encryption in Subversion environments. Organizations using affected versions of Subversion are at risk of having their version control communications intercepted, modified, or redirected without detection. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to source code repositories, potentially leading to code injection, data theft, or complete compromise of development environments. The vulnerability affects both the client-side certificate validation and the server-side certificate handling processes within the Serf library.
This weakness aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1573.002 for secure channel protocols. The vulnerability demonstrates poor implementation of certificate validation standards that should enforce strict matching between certificate subject identifiers and the actual server addresses being connected to. Organizations should immediately update to Subversion versions 1.7.18 or 1.8.10 and later, which contain the necessary patches to properly validate wildcard certificates. Additional mitigations include implementing strict certificate pinning policies, using custom certificate authorities, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious certificate validation behaviors. Security teams should also consider conducting comprehensive audits of their Subversion environments to ensure all affected components have been properly updated and that no legacy systems remain vulnerable to this attack vector.