CVE-2014-5583 in Most Popular Ringtones
Summary
by MITRE
The Most Popular Ringtones (aka com.bbs.mostpopularringtones) application 32 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 • 08/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5583 affects the Most Popular Ringtones Android application version 32, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's handling of secure communications. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating an exploitable weakness that fundamentally undermines the security of data transmission between the mobile application and remote servers. The vulnerability represents a classic case of inadequate certificate validation, where the application accepts any certificate presented by a server without proper verification of its authenticity and trust chain.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's network security implementation, specifically within its SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism. When the application establishes secure connections to remote servers for downloading ringtones or other content, it fails to perform proper certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or trust anchor validation. This deficiency allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-295 which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041 where adversaries use certificate manipulation to establish false trust relationships with mobile applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to not only monitor communications but also to inject malicious content into the application's data streams. An attacker positioned between the mobile device and the legitimate server can present a crafted certificate that appears to be from a trusted source, allowing them to decrypt and modify data transmitted between the application and servers. This creates opportunities for credential theft, content manipulation, and potentially full compromise of user data stored within or transmitted by the application. The vulnerability affects all users of the specific Android application version and poses significant risks to user privacy and security.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL/TLS certificate validation within the application's network stack. Developers should implement certificate pinning mechanisms to ensure that only pre-approved certificates from trusted Certificate Authorities are accepted. The application must perform comprehensive certificate chain validation including hostname verification, certificate expiration checks, and trust anchor validation against established Certificate Authority roots. Additionally, implementing proper error handling for certificate validation failures will prevent the application from proceeding with insecure connections. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect unusual certificate behavior and establish regular security audits to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications. The fix aligns with industry best practices outlined in OWASP Mobile Top 10 and NIST SP 800-52 guidelines for mobile application security, particularly focusing on secure communication protocols and proper certificate management.