CVE-2014-4891 in CT iHub
Summary
by MITRE
The CT iHub (aka com.concursive.ctihub) application 1 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.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-4891 affects the CT iHub Android application version 1, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS certificate verification mechanism. This weakness resides in the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise the integrity of network connections. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate validation process that should establish trust between the mobile application and remote servers, allowing malicious actors to establish fraudulent connections without proper authentication.
The technical implementation flaw stems from the application's lack of certificate pinning and proper trust chain validation. When the CT iHub application establishes SSL connections to remote servers, it fails to verify the certificate's authenticity through established cryptographic means including checking certificate authorities, validating certificate expiration dates, and ensuring proper certificate signatures. This absence of verification creates a scenario where attackers can deploy malicious certificates that appear legitimate to the application, effectively bypassing the security mechanisms designed to protect sensitive data transmission. The vulnerability directly relates to CWE-295 which defines weaknesses in certificate validation and certificate pinning implementation, specifically addressing the absence of proper certificate verification procedures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, particularly for applications handling sensitive information in mobile environments. Attackers can execute man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates to the vulnerable application, enabling them to intercept, modify, or redirect communications between the mobile device and target servers. This compromise allows adversaries to obtain confidential information such as user credentials, personal data, financial information, or business-sensitive details transmitted through the application. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where mobile applications often handle proprietary data, making it a prime target for corporate espionage and data theft operations. The attack vector requires minimal sophistication since the vulnerability exists in the application's core security implementation rather than requiring complex exploitation techniques.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security architecture improvements. The primary solution involves implementing proper certificate verification mechanisms including certificate pinning, where the application explicitly trusts specific certificates or certificate authorities rather than accepting any valid certificate. The application should validate certificate chains through established trust stores, verify certificate signatures, and implement proper expiration date checks. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as network monitoring to detect unusual certificate behavior and regular security assessments of mobile applications. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to industry standards such as those defined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and NIST guidelines for mobile application security. The remediation process should include thorough code review to ensure proper SSL/TLS implementation and comprehensive testing of certificate validation procedures to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future releases.
The broader implications of this vulnerability extend beyond the specific application, highlighting common security issues in mobile application development where security controls are often inadequately implemented or overlooked during development cycles. This weakness exemplifies the ATT&CK technique T1566 which describes social engineering attacks that can be facilitated by broken cryptographic implementations, and demonstrates how insecure communication protocols can create persistent security risks that affect user trust and data integrity. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of implementing robust security controls in mobile applications, particularly those handling sensitive information, and underscores the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle to identify and remediate such critical flaws before they can be exploited by malicious actors in real-world scenarios.