CVE-2014-5734 in Buy Books
Summary
by MITRE
The Buy Books (aka com.wBooksForSale) application 0.1 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 • 08/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5734 affects the Buy Books Android application version 0.1, specifically targeting the application's handling of secure communication protocols. This flaw represents a critical security oversight in the mobile application's implementation of transport layer security mechanisms. The application fails to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality. This weakness directly violates fundamental security principles governing secure communications in mobile applications and demonstrates a lack of proper certificate validation procedures.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's inability to perform certificate chain validation and trust verification processes that are standard requirements for secure SSL/TLS implementations. When the application establishes connections to remote servers, it accepts any certificate presented without verifying the certificate authority, expiration dates, or domain name matches that would normally be required for secure communication. This vulnerability falls under CWE-295 which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, making it a direct implementation of known security weaknesses in certificate handling mechanisms. The flaw enables attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, thereby bypassing the security protections that SSL/TLS is designed to provide.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it allows attackers to manipulate sensitive information exchanges between the mobile application and backend servers. Users of the Buy Books application may unknowingly transmit personal information, payment details, or other confidential data through connections that are compromised by the attacker's ability to spoof legitimate servers. This vulnerability particularly affects the integrity of user authentication processes and data transmission security, potentially enabling attackers to modify transactions, steal user credentials, or access private information stored on server systems. The attack vector requires minimal sophistication as the vulnerability lies in the application's trust model rather than requiring complex exploitation techniques.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address the core certificate validation failure within the application's SSL/TLS implementation. The recommended approach involves implementing proper certificate pinning mechanisms and ensuring that all SSL connections undergo rigorous certificate chain validation including verification of certificate authorities, expiration dates, and domain name matching. Organizations should implement certificate validation libraries that properly handle X.509 certificate verification according to established security standards and best practices. The solution must include updating the application to enforce certificate validation at runtime and implementing proper error handling for certificate validation failures. This vulnerability highlights the importance of following security frameworks such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and demonstrates the critical need for secure coding practices in mobile application development that align with industry standards for certificate validation and secure communication protocols.