CVE-2014-5593 in Christian Dating Cafe
Summary
by MITRE
The Christian Dating Cafe (aka com.christiancafe.mobile.android) application 1.0.3 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-2014-5593 affects the Christian Dating Cafe Android application version 1.0.3, representing a critical security flaw in the mobile application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue falls under the broader category of insecure cryptographic implementation and specifically manifests as a failure to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during network communications. The application's inability to verify X.509 certificates creates a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity.
The technical flaw stems from the application's lack of certificate pinning and validation mechanisms that are fundamental to establishing trust in secure communications. When an Android application establishes SSL connections to remote servers, it should verify the server's X.509 certificate against a trusted certificate authority to ensure the authenticity of the endpoint. In this case, the Christian Dating Cafe application bypasses this crucial verification step, allowing attackers to present malicious certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness directly correlates to CWE-295, which addresses the improper certificate validation in secure communications, and represents a classic example of a man-in-the-middle attack vector.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to intercept and manipulate all sensitive data transmitted between the mobile application and its backend servers. Users of the application may unknowingly share personal information, login credentials, or other confidential data that could be captured by malicious actors positioned between the device and the server. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality and integrity of communications, potentially exposing user privacy and creating opportunities for identity theft, financial fraud, or other malicious activities. This weakness is particularly dangerous in mobile applications that handle personal or sensitive user data, as the attack surface extends to any network traffic that flows through the vulnerable application.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 which involves network service scanning and T1566 which covers credential harvesting through social engineering or network attacks. The lack of certificate validation essentially removes the application's ability to detect and prevent such attacks, making it a prime target for adversaries seeking to exploit mobile application security weaknesses. Mitigation strategies should include implementing proper certificate pinning, utilizing trusted certificate authorities, and ensuring all network communications validate server certificates against established trust chains. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate certificate validation failures or unauthorized interception attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to established security frameworks that mandate proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications.