CVE-2014-5754 in Verizon Instant Refills 24-7
Summary
by MITRE
The Verizon Instant Refills 24/7 (aka com.wVerizonInstantRefill247) 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 • 08/31/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5754 affects the Verizon Instant Refills 24/7 Android application version 0.1, representing a critical security flaw in the mobile application's cryptographic implementation. This issue stems from the application's failure 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.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's improper handling of SSL certificate verification processes, specifically lacking the implementation of certificate pinning or proper certificate chain validation. This weakness allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting maliciously crafted certificates that the application accepts without proper validation. The vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles of secure communication and authentication, as outlined in the OWASP Mobile Top 10 and NIST SP 800-52 standards for secure network communications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, particularly for an application handling sensitive financial and personal information related to mobile phone service refills. Attackers can exploit this weakness to intercept and manipulate communication between the mobile device and Verizon's servers, potentially gaining access to user account details, payment information, and personal identifiers. This creates opportunities for financial fraud, identity theft, and unauthorized access to telecommunications services, with potential downstream impacts on user privacy and corporate reputation.
This vulnerability maps to CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for credential harvesting through man-in-the-middle attacks. The lack of certificate validation represents a fundamental failure in implementing secure communication protocols, as mandated by industry standards including ISO/IEC 27001 and PCI DSS requirements for secure electronic transactions. Organizations should implement certificate pinning mechanisms, proper certificate validation routines, and regular security assessments to prevent similar vulnerabilities in mobile applications.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of proper certificate validation procedures, adoption of certificate pinning techniques, and comprehensive security testing of all network communications within mobile applications. Additionally, regular updates to security frameworks, implementation of secure coding practices, and adherence to mobile security guidelines from organizations like the Mobile Security Framework (MSF) should be enforced to prevent such vulnerabilities from reoccurring in future application deployments.