CVE-2014-5738 in Garfield's Defense
Summary
by MITRE
The Garfield s Defense (aka com.webprancer.google.garfieldDefense) application 1.5.4 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-2014-5738 affects the Garfield s Defense mobile application version 1.5.4 for Android platforms, representing a critical security flaw in the application's cryptographic implementation. This issue resides within the application's SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism, specifically failing to properly verify X.509 certificates presented by remote servers during secure communications. The flaw essentially disables the certificate pinning and validation processes that are fundamental to establishing trust in secure network connections, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification during SSL handshakes. When the Android application establishes secure connections to remote servers, it should validate the server's X.509 certificate against trusted Certificate Authority (CA) roots and verify that the certificate matches the expected hostname. However, this particular application version bypasses these critical security checks, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness directly maps to CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" in security protocols, and represents a failure in the application's secure communication implementation that violates fundamental security best practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, particularly in the context of mobile security and user data protection. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute man-in-the-middle attacks by intercepting communications between the vulnerable application and its intended servers. Through certificate spoofing techniques, malicious actors can decrypt and manipulate sensitive information transmitted through the application, potentially accessing user credentials, personal data, financial information, or other confidential details. This vulnerability undermines the entire purpose of SSL/TLS encryption and can lead to data breaches, identity theft, and unauthorized access to user accounts. The risk is particularly elevated in mobile environments where applications often handle sensitive personal information and financial transactions.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for credential access through phishing and T1041 for data compression and T1571 for application layer protocol manipulation. The attack vector typically involves network interception using tools like SSLstrip or custom proxy software to present attacker-controlled certificates that the application accepts without proper validation. Mitigation strategies should include implementing proper certificate pinning mechanisms, enforcing strict certificate validation procedures, and ensuring that all SSL/TLS connections perform comprehensive certificate chain verification. Additionally, developers should adopt industry-standard security practices such as those outlined in OWASP Mobile Security Project recommendations, particularly focusing on secure communication implementation and certificate management. The fix requires updating the application to properly validate certificates against trusted root CAs and implement hostname verification checks to prevent the acceptance of fraudulent certificates, thereby restoring the intended security posture of the mobile application.