CVE-2014-5693 in Slots Vacation - FREE Slots
Summary
by MITRE
The Slots Vacation - FREE Slots (aka com.scopely.slotsvacation) application 1.47.2 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 • 08/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5693 affects the Slots Vacation - FREE Slots Android application version 1.47.2, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack vector that compromises the integrity of network communications. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's ability to establish trust with remote servers, leaving users exposed to sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks that can intercept and manipulate sensitive data transmitted between the mobile device and backend services.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's cryptographic implementation where it bypasses standard certificate validation procedures that should occur during SSL handshakes. When an Android application establishes a secure connection to a server, it should verify the server's X.509 certificate against a trusted certificate authority to ensure the connection is authentic and not being intercepted by malicious actors. The Slots Vacation application fails to perform this critical verification step, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses the improper certificate validation in secure communication implementations, making the application susceptible to various forms of cryptographic attacks that compromise data confidentiality and integrity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to completely impersonate legitimate servers and gain access to sensitive user information. Mobile applications that handle personal data, financial transactions, or authentication credentials become particularly vulnerable when they fail to implement proper certificate pinning or validation mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this weakness to conduct session hijacking, steal user credentials, manipulate transaction data, or redirect users to malicious websites while maintaining the appearance of legitimate communication. The vulnerability affects not only the immediate data being transmitted but also potentially compromises the application's overall security posture, including user authentication tokens and personal information stored within the application's secure contexts.
Organizations and developers should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, beginning with immediate code modifications to enforce proper certificate validation procedures. The recommended approach involves implementing certificate pinning mechanisms that require the application to validate server certificates against a predefined set of trusted certificates rather than relying on the default certificate authority validation. Additionally, developers should consider implementing certificate transparency checks and regular security audits of their cryptographic implementations. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of adhering to security best practices as outlined in industry standards such as the OWASP Mobile Security Project, which emphasizes the necessity of secure communication protocols and proper certificate handling in mobile applications. The mitigation efforts should also include regular security testing and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other components of the application's architecture.