CVE-2014-5759 in Awesome Antivirus 2014
Summary
by MITRE
The Awesome Antivirus 2014 (aka com.yoursite.top5antivirus2014) application 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 described in CVE-2014-5759 represents a critical security flaw in the Awesome Antivirus 2014 Android application, which was distributed under the package name com.yoursite.top5antivirus2014. This application, designed to provide antivirus protection for mobile devices, contained a fundamental cryptographic weakness that undermined the security of all network communications it facilitated. The flaw specifically relates to the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack vector that could be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's complete omission of certificate verification processes during secure communication establishment. When the Awesome Antivirus 2014 application attempted to connect to remote servers using SSL/TLS protocols, it failed to perform the essential X.509 certificate validation steps that are standard practice in secure communications. This includes checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate authorities, and ensuring proper certificate chains. The absence of these verification steps means that the application would accept any certificate presented by a server, regardless of its legitimacy or authenticity. This flaw directly violates the fundamental security principles of certificate-based authentication and creates a dangerous trust relationship between the mobile application and potentially malicious servers.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability exposes users to severe man-in-the-middle attack scenarios where attackers can seamlessly intercept and manipulate communications between the infected device and legitimate servers. The implications extend beyond simple data interception to include potential credential theft, session hijacking, and the injection of malicious content into what should be secure communications. Attackers could present forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, allowing them to establish fake secure connections while actually controlling the communication channel. This creates an environment where sensitive information such as user credentials, personal data, and potentially financial information could be captured without detection. The vulnerability essentially transforms the application from a security tool into a potential security risk, undermining the trust users place in the software.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with several established threat frameworks and standards, including the Common Weakness Enumeration CWE-295 which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" as a critical weakness in cryptographic implementations. This weakness falls squarely within the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the technique T1566 for "Phishing" and T1071 for "Application Layer Protocol" where the compromised application could be used to deliver malicious payloads through forged secure communications. Organizations and users should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader category of mobile security flaws that can be exploited to undermine the integrity of mobile applications and the data they handle. The vulnerability demonstrates how even security-focused applications can contain critical implementation flaws that defeat their intended protective purposes.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action from users and security administrators. The most effective immediate solution involves uninstalling the affected application and verifying that no malicious modifications remain on the device. Users should also ensure their devices are running the latest security updates and that they have proper network monitoring in place to detect suspicious communications. Security professionals should implement network-based monitoring to detect potential certificate manipulation attempts and establish proper certificate pinning mechanisms for applications that require secure communications. Organizations should conduct comprehensive mobile security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications and establish secure coding practices that emphasize proper certificate validation. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of third-party security tool vetting and the need for thorough security reviews of mobile applications before deployment, particularly those designed to provide security services.