CVE-2014-5610 in ce4arab market
Summary
by MITRE
The ce4arab market (aka com.dreamstep.wce4arabmarket) application 0.12.13093.40460 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.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5610 affects the ce4arab market Android application version 0.12.13093.40460, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue falls under the category of inadequate certificate validation, where the application fails to properly verify the authenticity of SSL/TLS certificates presented by remote servers during network communications. The absence of proper certificate verification creates a significant security gap that exposes users to various forms of cyber attacks targeting the application's network traffic.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to implement proper X.509 certificate validation mechanisms, which are fundamental components of secure communication protocols. When an Android application establishes SSL/TLS connections to remote servers, it should validate the server's certificate against trusted certificate authorities and verify that the certificate matches the expected hostname. The ce4arab market application bypasses these essential validation steps, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness directly violates security best practices and industry standards for mobile application security.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it enables man-in-the-middle attacks that can compromise sensitive user data and communications. Attackers can exploit this flaw by intercepting network traffic between the application and its servers, presenting forged SSL certificates that the application accepts without proper verification. This allows malicious actors to decrypt and potentially modify sensitive information transmitted through the application, including user credentials, personal data, financial information, and other confidential communications. The vulnerability essentially undermines the entire purpose of SSL/TLS encryption for protecting data in transit.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and represents a clear violation of the principle of secure coding practices for mobile applications. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps directly to ATT&CK technique T1573.001, which covers "Encrypted Channel: Symmetric Cryptography" and can be leveraged for data interception and manipulation. The security implications extend beyond simple data theft to include potential account takeovers, session hijacking, and the ability to inject malicious content into the application's communications, making it a particularly dangerous vulnerability for any application handling sensitive user information.
Organizations and developers should implement immediate mitigations including the implementation of proper certificate pinning mechanisms, ensuring that all SSL/TLS connections validate certificates against trusted authorities, and implementing hostname verification checks. The application should be updated to use robust certificate validation libraries and frameworks that enforce proper X.509 certificate checking. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual certificate behavior and potential man-in-the-middle attacks. The fix should incorporate industry-standard security libraries such as Android's TrustManager implementations and ensure that all network communications validate certificate chains properly to prevent the exploitation of this vulnerability.