CVE-2014-5686 in Runtastic
Summary
by MITRE
The Runtastic Me (aka com.runtastic.android.me.lite) application 1.0.2 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-2014-5686 affects the Runtastic Me mobile application version 1.0.2 for Android devices, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communications. This issue falls under the broader category of insufficient certificate verification within SSL/TLS implementations, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality. The application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates from SSL servers fundamentally undermines the security of all network communications between the mobile client and backend services.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's inability to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification processes that are standard requirements for secure SSL/TLS connections. When an Android application establishes secure connections to servers, it should validate the server's certificate against trusted Certificate Authority roots, verify certificate expiration dates, check certificate revocation status, and ensure proper hostname matching. The Runtastic Me application bypasses these essential verification steps, allowing malicious actors to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This vulnerability is categorized as a weakness in certificate validation, which aligns with CWE-295 - Improper Certificate Validation, and represents a failure in the application's security architecture that directly enables man-in-the-middle attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial and multifaceted, as it exposes users to various forms of data interception and manipulation. Attackers can leverage this flaw to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by intercepting communications between the mobile application and its servers, potentially capturing sensitive user information including personal data, fitness metrics, location information, and potentially authentication credentials. The vulnerability is particularly concerning given that the application is designed for fitness tracking, which typically involves collecting highly personal and potentially sensitive information about users' physical activities, locations, and health data. This exposure creates risks for identity theft, privacy violations, and unauthorized access to personal fitness information that users may not expect to be compromised through a fitness tracking application.
The security implications extend beyond simple data interception, as this vulnerability can enable more sophisticated attacks that leverage the compromised communication channel. According to ATT&CK framework concepts, this weakness maps to T1041 - Exfiltration Over C2 Channel and T1566 - Phishing, as attackers can use the compromised connection to redirect users to malicious sites or extract sensitive information without user knowledge. Organizations and users should recognize that this vulnerability creates a persistent security risk that remains active until properly patched, as the application continues to trust any certificate presented by malicious servers without validation. The impact is particularly severe in mobile environments where users may connect to public networks, making the attack surface even more extensive.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must include immediate application updates that implement proper certificate validation procedures, including certificate pinning mechanisms where appropriate. Security practitioners should recommend that users avoid connecting to untrusted networks when using the application until patches are deployed, and organizations should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The fix should involve implementing robust certificate validation that includes checking certificate chains against trusted roots, verifying certificate expiration dates, and ensuring proper hostname validation. Additionally, implementing certificate pinning would provide an extra layer of protection by hardcoding expected certificate fingerprints or public keys, making it significantly more difficult for attackers to successfully impersonate legitimate servers. This approach aligns with industry best practices for mobile application security and addresses the fundamental weakness in the application's cryptographic implementation that enables the man-in-the-middle attack vector.