CVE-2014-4899 in Indian Cement Review
Summary
by MITRE
The Indian Cement Review (aka com.magzter.indiancementreview) application 3.01 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-2014-4899 affects the Indian Cement Review Android application version 3.01, representing a critical security flaw in the mobile application's implementation of secure communications. This issue falls under the category of improper certificate validation, which is classified as CWE-295 in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The application fails to properly validate X.509 certificates when establishing SSL connections, creating a significant security gap that exposes users to various cyber threats. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's ability to authenticate secure server connections, making it susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks where adversaries can intercept and manipulate communications between the mobile client and backend servers.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's SSL/TLS implementation where certificate verification mechanisms are either completely disabled or improperly configured, allowing any certificate to be accepted regardless of its validity or trust chain. This weakness enables attackers to generate malicious certificates that appear legitimate to the application, thereby bypassing the security measures designed to protect sensitive data transmission. The vulnerability creates an environment where attackers can establish fraudulent secure connections, potentially intercepting user credentials, personal information, or business data that should remain protected during transmission. This type of flaw directly violates industry standards for secure mobile application development and represents a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it compromises the integrity and confidentiality of all communications between the mobile application and its backend services. Attackers can exploit this weakness to conduct session hijacking, perform data tampering, or even redirect users to malicious endpoints while maintaining the illusion of secure communication. The vulnerability affects not only individual user data but also organizational information that may be transmitted through the application, potentially leading to corporate espionage, financial fraud, or regulatory compliance violations. Mobile applications with such flaws are particularly dangerous because they often handle sensitive information in unsecured environments where users may be connected to public networks or compromised devices.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including certificate pinning mechanisms, proper SSL certificate validation, and regular security assessments of mobile applications. The remediation process should involve updating the application to properly validate certificate chains, implement certificate pinning where appropriate, and establish robust secure communication protocols. Security professionals should reference the ATT&CK framework's T1573.002 technique for secure communication channel implementation and ensure compliance with NIST SP 800-52 guidelines for certificate management. Additionally, regular penetration testing and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other mobile applications within the organization's portfolio. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing proper cryptographic controls in mobile application development, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle.