CVE-2014-5604 in Akinator the Genie FREE
Summary
by MITRE
The Akinator the Genie FREE (aka com.digidust.elokence.akinator.freemium) application 2.46 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-2014-5604 affects the Akinator the Genie FREE Android application version 2.46, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's SSL certificate verification mechanisms. This weakness stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications, creating a significant attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's cryptographic security implementation, specifically targeting the certificate validation process that is essential for establishing trust in secure network communications.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing or inadequate certificate validation routine within the application's SSL/TLS implementation. When the Android application establishes secure connections to its backend servers, it fails to perform proper certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or signature validation checks that are standard requirements for secure communications. This allows attackers to intercept communications using malicious certificates that appear legitimate to the application, effectively bypassing the security measures designed to protect user data. The vulnerability directly relates to CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications, and represents a classic example of a man-in-the-middle attack vector where the attacker can present a forged certificate that the application accepts without proper verification.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception to encompass potential credential theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized access to user accounts within the application ecosystem. Attackers can exploit this weakness to impersonate legitimate servers and capture sensitive user information including personal data, preferences, and potentially authentication credentials. The vulnerability affects the application's ability to maintain secure communication channels, undermining the trust model that users expect when interacting with mobile applications that handle personal information. From an attacker's perspective, this represents a low-effort, high-impact vector that can be exploited without requiring sophisticated tools or deep technical knowledge of the target application's internal workings, making it particularly dangerous in the context of mobile application security.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the application's network communication layer. Developers must ensure that all SSL/TLS connections perform comprehensive certificate validation including chain of trust verification, hostname matching, and signature validation against trusted certificate authorities. The implementation should follow industry best practices and standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project recommendations for secure communication. Organizations should also consider implementing certificate pinning techniques to further strengthen the security posture against this type of attack vector. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques related to credential access and defense evasion, as attackers can leverage it to establish persistent access to user accounts while avoiding detection through proper security monitoring. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper security testing and code review processes that should identify such critical flaws before application deployment to production environments.