CVE-2014-5760 in Pizza Hut
Summary
by MITRE
The Pizza Hut (aka com.yum.pizzahut) application 2.0.5 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-2014-5760 affects the Pizza Hut mobile application version 2.0.5 for Android platforms, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. 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 and system integrity. The vulnerability specifically impacts the mobile application's ability to establish trust with backend servers, fundamentally undermining the security model designed to protect sensitive information transmitted between the client and server components.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's certificate verification process where it fails to perform proper validation of SSL certificates presented by servers during secure connections. This weakness allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The absence of certificate pinning or proper certificate chain validation means that the application accepts any certificate that can establish a connection, regardless of its authenticity or trustworthiness. This behavior directly violates fundamental security principles of public key infrastructure and cryptographic protocol implementation, creating a pathway for attackers to intercept and potentially modify communications between the mobile client and web services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive user information including personal details, authentication credentials, and potentially payment information transmitted through the application. Attackers can exploit this weakness to create fake server endpoints that appear legitimate to the mobile application, allowing them to capture user data, session tokens, and other confidential information without detection. The vulnerability is particularly concerning given that the application handles food ordering services where users may provide personal information, credit card details, and location data that could be compromised through this certificate validation failure. This represents a direct violation of the security principle of authentication and data integrity that mobile applications must maintain when handling sensitive user information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's SSL/TLS implementation. The recommended approach includes implementing certificate pinning techniques where the application maintains a trusted list of certificate fingerprints or public keys that it will accept for specific domains. This approach aligns with industry best practices and standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and follows the principle of least privilege in cryptographic communications. Additionally, the application should implement proper certificate chain validation that verifies certificate signatures against trusted root authorities and checks certificate expiration dates and revocation status through mechanisms like CRL or OCSP. The fix should also incorporate the use of secure coding practices that ensure all SSL/TLS connections are validated according to established cryptographic standards and that the application maintains up-to-date trust stores to prevent acceptance of fraudulent certificates. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications and aligns with CWE-295 which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols. The attack vector for this vulnerability would typically map to ATT&CK technique T1041 which covers data compression and encryption methods used in data exfiltration, making it a significant concern for organizations implementing mobile security measures.