CVE-2014-5532 in Honolulu
Summary
by MITRE
The Honolulu (aka adidas.jp.android.running.honolulu) application 2 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-2014-5532 affects the Honolulu mobile application version 2 for Android platforms, specifically targeting the application's cryptographic security implementation. This issue represents a critical flaw in the application's secure communication protocol handling, where the software fails to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates presented by remote servers during network connections. The application's failure to verify X.509 certificates creates a significant security gap that can be exploited by malicious actors to intercept and manipulate communications between the mobile device and backend services.
The technical flaw stems from the application's improper implementation of certificate validation mechanisms within its SSL/TLS handshake process. When establishing secure connections to servers, the Honolulu application should validate the presented X.509 certificates against trusted certificate authorities and verify the certificate's authenticity, validity period, and proper domain alignment. However, the vulnerability demonstrates that the application accepts any certificate presented by a server without performing these essential verification steps, effectively disabling the security guarantees that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide.
This weakness enables man-in-the-middle attack scenarios where adversaries can successfully impersonate legitimate servers and establish fraudulent secure connections with the mobile application. Attackers can craft malicious certificates that appear to be from trusted sources, allowing them to decrypt and potentially modify communications between the application and servers. The implications extend beyond simple data interception to include potential credential theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized access to sensitive user information processed through the application. The vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles outlined in industry standards such as CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers data manipulation through man-in-the-middle attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, particularly for an application that likely handles user authentication, personal fitness data, and potentially financial transactions related to athletic services. Users of the Honolulu application face significant risks including unauthorized access to their personal information, potential account takeovers, and exposure to fraudulent services. The vulnerability affects all users of the specific Android application version, regardless of their security awareness or device configurations, making it particularly dangerous as a widespread security flaw. Organizations relying on this application for user engagement and data collection face potential regulatory compliance issues and reputational damage if user data is compromised through exploitation of this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate code modifications to implement proper certificate validation procedures, including certificate pinning mechanisms to prevent the acceptance of unauthorized certificates. The application should enforce strict certificate validation against trusted certificate authorities and implement proper certificate chain verification processes. Security updates should be deployed immediately to all affected users, and the application should be redesigned to follow secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Mobile Top 10 and NIST guidelines for mobile application security. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures to address potential compromise scenarios. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications and serves as a reminder of the severe consequences that can result from inadequate security controls in mobile platform applications.