CVE-2014-4906 in Brisbane
Summary
by MITRE
The Brisbane & Queensland Alert (aka com.queensland.alert) application 2.0 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-2014-4906 affects the Brisbane & Queensland Alert mobile application version 2.0 for Android operating systems. This represents a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols, specifically within its handling of SSL/TLS certificate verification processes. The application fails to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure connections, creating a significant attack vector that compromises the integrity of data transmission between the mobile client and remote servers.
This technical deficiency stems from improper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's cryptographic implementation, placing the mobile device at risk of man-in-the-middle attacks. The vulnerability directly relates to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications, and falls under the broader category of insecure cryptographic implementation. Attackers can exploit this weakness by presenting crafted SSL certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, thereby bypassing the normal security measures designed to protect against unauthorized access to sensitive data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to establish fraudulent connections with the application's backend services. This allows adversaries to not only read sensitive information transmitted between the mobile device and servers but also potentially modify data in transit, inject malicious content, or redirect users to compromised endpoints. The affected application's users face risks including exposure of personal information, location data, and potentially any credentials or sensitive communications they might exchange with the service.
Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers data compression and encryption, and represents a failure in the application's secure communication implementation. Organizations using this application should immediately implement mitigations including certificate pinning, updating to newer versions of the application that properly validate certificates, and implementing network-level monitoring to detect suspicious certificate behavior. The vulnerability also demonstrates the importance of proper certificate validation as outlined in NIST SP 800-52 guidelines for secure communication protocols, emphasizing that applications must verify certificate chains and trust anchors before establishing secure connections.