CVE-2014-5756 in Buy 99 Cents Only Products
Summary
by MITRE
The Buy 99 Cents Only Products (aka com.ww99CentsOnlyStores) 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-2014-5756 affects the Buy 99 Cents Only Products Android application version 0.1, presenting a critical security flaw in the 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 undermines the fundamental security guarantees of encrypted communications. The flaw represents a classic certificate verification bypass that violates established security protocols and exposes users to sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks.
The technical implementation defect lies in the application's SSL/TLS handshake process where it fails to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification. According to CWE-295, this vulnerability maps directly to "Improper Certificate Validation" where the application accepts any certificate without verifying its authenticity, issuer, or trust chain. The Android application's network security implementation lacks proper certificate pinning mechanisms and certificate verification routines that should validate certificate signatures, expiration dates, and issuer information against trusted certificate authorities. This absence of certificate validation creates an environment where attackers can generate and present fraudulent certificates that the application will accept without question.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it enables attackers to conduct successful man-in-the-middle attacks against users of the application. An attacker positioned between the user and the server can intercept and modify communications, potentially stealing sensitive user data, session tokens, or financial information. This vulnerability specifically affects the application's ability to establish secure connections with servers, making it vulnerable to attacks that would otherwise be mitigated by proper SSL/TLS certificate validation. The attack vector requires minimal sophistication as attackers only need to present a valid certificate to the application, bypassing the need for complex cryptographic attacks or system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The recommended approach includes implementing proper certificate pinning techniques where the application maintains a trusted list of certificate fingerprints or public keys and validates server certificates against this established trust store. Additionally, the application should implement complete certificate chain validation including signature verification, expiration date checks, and issuer verification against trusted certificate authorities. Organizations should also consider implementing certificate transparency monitoring and regular security audits to ensure proper implementation of cryptographic security measures. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 which involves network service scanning and T1566 which covers credential harvesting through social engineering, demonstrating the comprehensive threat landscape that improper certificate validation creates. The remediation process must ensure that all SSL/TLS connections within the application properly validate certificates against established trust chains to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.