CVE-2014-5674 in PicsArt - Photo Studio
Summary
by MITRE
The PicsArt - Photo Studio (aka com.picsart.studio) application 4.5.5 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 • 08/28/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5674 affects the PicsArt - Photo Studio Android application version 4.5.5, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's SSL certificate verification mechanism. 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 adversaries can exploit to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish secure connections with backend servers, potentially exposing user data and sensitive information to unauthorized access. This flaw represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture, as it undermines the core principles of secure communication and data integrity that are essential for mobile applications handling user information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the application's cryptographic handshake process where SSL/TLS connections are established without proper certificate validation. The application fails to perform certificate pinning or chain-of-trust validation, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness specifically aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications, and represents a classic example of insufficient certificate verification. The vulnerability enables attackers to intercept and modify communications between the mobile application and its servers, potentially capturing user credentials, personal data, or other sensitive information transmitted over the network. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no special privileges or complex exploitation techniques, making it accessible to threat actors with basic networking knowledge.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally compromises the trust model between the user and the application. Mobile applications that fail to verify SSL certificates create an environment where attackers can seamlessly impersonate legitimate services, potentially leading to credential theft, financial fraud, or privacy violations. Users of PicsArt - Photo Studio version 4.5.5 may unknowingly transmit sensitive information to malicious servers that appear to be legitimate services, while the application provides no mechanism to detect or prevent such deception. This vulnerability also affects the application's overall security posture and could potentially lead to legal and regulatory consequences for the vendor, particularly if user data is compromised. The impact is exacerbated by the widespread use of the application, increasing the potential attack surface and the volume of sensitive data that could be exposed.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements. The primary solution involves implementing proper SSL certificate validation within the application's network communication layer, ensuring that X.509 certificates are verified against trusted certificate authorities and that certificate pinning is employed where appropriate. Security patches should be developed to enforce certificate chain validation, implement certificate revocation checking, and establish secure communication protocols that prevent the acceptance of untrusted certificates. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous communication patterns that may indicate certificate validation failures or attempted man-in-the-middle attacks. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other network communication components, following established security frameworks such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and NIST guidelines for mobile application security. The fix should also include implementing proper error handling for certificate validation failures and ensuring that the application gracefully handles situations where secure connections cannot be established.