CVE-2014-5591 in Frankly Chat
Summary
by MITRE
The Frankly Chat (aka com.chatfrankly.android) application 3.0.1 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-2014-5591 affects the Frankly Chat Android application version 3.0.1, representing 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 vector that undermines the fundamental security assurances provided by cryptographic protocols. The vulnerability specifically impacts the certificate verification process, which is essential for establishing trust between the client application and remote servers.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate validation mechanisms within the application's SSL implementation. When the Frankly Chat application establishes connections to remote servers, it fails to perform the necessary checks that would normally verify certificate authenticity, including checking certificate chains, validating issuer information, and ensuring proper cryptographic signatures. This omission allows attackers to present malicious certificates that would be accepted by the application without proper scrutiny. The vulnerability directly relates to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and represents a classic example of insufficient certificate, key, and trust validation that enables man-in-the-middle attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it exposes users to comprehensive data interception and manipulation capabilities. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, thereby gaining access to sensitive user communications, personal information, and potentially financial data. The implications extend beyond simple eavesdropping to include active attack scenarios where malicious actors can modify data in transit, inject false information, or redirect users to compromised servers. This vulnerability particularly affects applications handling sensitive user communications, making it a prime target for threat actors seeking to compromise user privacy and data integrity.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's SSL/TLS stack. The recommended approach involves implementing robust certificate pinning techniques, where the application explicitly validates certificate fingerprints against known good certificates rather than relying solely on standard certificate authority validation. Additionally, developers should implement certificate chain validation, proper hostname verification, and cryptographic signature validation to ensure that all certificates presented during SSL connections meet established security criteria. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect potential certificate manipulation attempts and establish regular security audits to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers data compression and encryption for exfiltration, as the compromised communication channel could facilitate unauthorized data access and exfiltration. The remediation process should include comprehensive code review of all SSL/TLS implementation components and adherence to industry standards such as those defined in NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and validation practices.