CVE-2014-5534 in Princess Shopping
Summary
by MITRE
The Princess Shopping (aka air.android.PrincessShopping) 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-2014-5534 affects the Princess Shopping Android application version 2, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This weakness resides in the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that can be exploited by malicious actors. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish trust with remote servers, fundamentally undermining the security of data transmission between the mobile client and backend services.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing certificate verification mechanism within the application's SSL implementation, which falls under CWE-295 - Improper Certificate Validation. This weakness allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that the application accepts without proper validation. The application essentially trusts any certificate presented by a server, regardless of its legitimacy or chain of trust, creating a dangerous scenario where sensitive user data can be intercepted and potentially modified during transmission. This vulnerability operates at the transport layer security level, specifically affecting the TLS/SSL handshake process where certificate validation should occur.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, affecting both user privacy and data integrity. Attackers can exploit this weakness to intercept sensitive user information including personal data, login credentials, payment information, and other confidential details transmitted through the application. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1573.002 - Timestomp, as attackers can manipulate the timing and content of communications without detection. Additionally, this flaw enables credential theft and data exfiltration attacks that can compromise user accounts and corporate data. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in mobile environments where users may be connecting to untrusted networks, making the attack surface even broader.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers should implement certificate pinning techniques to ensure that only specific certificates or certificate authorities are accepted, thereby preventing attackers from using fraudulent certificates. The application should enforce strict certificate validation by checking certificate chains, expiration dates, and issuer information against trusted certificate authorities. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate certificate manipulation attempts. This vulnerability highlights the importance of following security best practices outlined in OWASP Mobile Top 10 and NIST SP 800-53 security frameworks, particularly those addressing secure communication and certificate management. The fix involves comprehensive code review and implementation of proper SSL/TLS certificate validation routines that align with industry standards for mobile application security.