CVE-2014-5684 in Running! Fitness
Summary
by MITRE
The Runtastic Running & Fitness (aka com.runtastic.android) application 5.1.2 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-2014-5684 affects the Runtastic Running & Fitness Android application version 5.1.2, representing a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism. This weakness stems from the application's failure to properly verify 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 its backend services, potentially exposing users' personal fitness data and health information to unauthorized interception and manipulation. This flaw represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture, as it undermines the core principle of secure communication that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs at the SSL/TLS handshake level where the application bypasses certificate validation routines that should verify the authenticity of server certificates. When an Android application fails to validate X.509 certificates properly, it essentially trusts any certificate presented by a server regardless of its validity, issuer, or expiration status. This misconfiguration allows attackers to generate or obtain fraudulent certificates that can be used to impersonate legitimate Runtastic servers. The vulnerability specifically affects the application's network security configuration, where certificate pinning or proper certificate chain validation mechanisms are either absent or improperly implemented. According to CWE-295, this represents a weakness in certificate validation that directly enables man-in-the-middle attacks by failing to properly validate the authenticity of SSL/TLS certificates.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception to encompass potential data manipulation and user deception. Attackers can exploit this weakness to redirect users to malicious servers that appear legitimate, potentially stealing sensitive user information including personal health data, location information, and fitness metrics. The vulnerability is particularly concerning for fitness applications that collect detailed personal information, as the stolen data could be used for identity theft, targeted advertising, or other malicious purposes. Users may unknowingly interact with compromised services while believing they are communicating securely with legitimate Runtastic servers, creating a false sense of security that undermines the application's intended functionality. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which describes data compression and encoding methods used to avoid detection, as attackers can leverage the compromised SSL validation to create stealthy attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers should implement certificate pinning to ensure that the application only accepts specific certificates or certificate authorities, preventing attackers from using fraudulent certificates to impersonate legitimate servers. The application must validate certificate chains properly, checking issuer information, expiration dates, and certificate signatures against trusted root certificates. Security patches should include implementing proper certificate validation routines that align with industry best practices and standards such as those outlined in NIST SP 800-57 for cryptographic key management and TLS protocol implementation. Additionally, the application should be updated to use secure communication protocols and ensure that all network requests perform proper certificate verification before establishing secure connections. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that certificate validation mechanisms remain effective against evolving attack techniques and that the application maintains proper security posture throughout its lifecycle.