CVE-2014-4890 in Nano Digest
Summary
by MITRE
The Nano Digest (aka com.magzter.nanodigest) application 3.0 for Android 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 • 08/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-4890 affects the Nano Digest Android application version 3.0, specifically targeting its implementation of secure communication protocols. This flaw represents a critical security weakness in the application's approach to establishing trusted connections with remote servers. The issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS handshakes, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise the integrity of communications between the mobile device and backend services.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in secure communication implementations. The application's lack of certificate verification means it accepts any certificate presented by a server without performing the necessary checks against trusted certificate authorities or validating certificate properties such as subject names, validity periods, or cryptographic signatures. This absence of proper certificate validation creates a man-in-the-middle attack vector where malicious actors can intercept communications by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability exposes users to substantial risk of data interception and manipulation. Attackers capable of positioning themselves between the application and its target servers can establish fraudulent connections and potentially access sensitive user information, session tokens, or other confidential data transmitted through the insecure channel. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to include potential account takeovers, financial fraud, or the compromise of personal user data that the application may handle during normal operation. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in mobile environments where applications often handle sensitive personal and financial information.
The security implications of this flaw align with several tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically targeting the initial access and credential access phases of an attack lifecycle. Adversaries can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to user accounts and data through the compromised communication channel. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating the application to a version that properly validates certificates, implementing network-level monitoring to detect suspicious certificate usage, and potentially deploying additional security controls such as certificate pinning to prevent the acceptance of unauthorized certificates. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications and the necessity of following security best practices outlined in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and validation.