CVE-2014-5764 in Antivirus Free
Summary
by MITRE
The Antivirus Free (aka com.zrgiu.antivirus) application 7.2.16.02 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-2014-5764 represents a critical security flaw in the Antivirus Free Android application version 7.2.16.02, specifically within its implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue falls under the category of weak cryptographic practices and certificate validation failures that fundamentally compromise the integrity of network communications. The application fails to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers, creating an exploitable condition that enables malicious actors to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks against users of the application.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification processes. When the application establishes SSL connections to remote servers, it does not validate the certificate against trusted certificate authorities or perform hostname verification checks. This omission allows attackers to generate and present fraudulent certificates that the application accepts as legitimate, effectively breaking the SSL/TLS security model that is designed to prevent unauthorized interception and modification of network traffic. The vulnerability is classified as a weakness in certificate validation mechanisms and aligns with CWE-295 which specifically addresses improper certificate validation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, affecting users who rely on the antivirus application for security protection while simultaneously being exposed to potential data theft and privacy violations. Attackers can exploit this weakness to intercept sensitive information transmitted through the application, including personal data, login credentials, and other confidential communications. The vulnerability undermines the very purpose of the antivirus application, as users may believe they are protected while unknowingly exposing their information to malicious parties. This creates a false sense of security that can lead to more extensive compromise of user systems and data.
From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to several ATT&CK techniques including T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for credential harvesting through social engineering. The man-in-the-middle capability allows attackers to capture and manipulate communications between the user and legitimate services, potentially redirecting traffic to malicious endpoints or extracting sensitive information from intercepted data streams. The vulnerability also relates to T1557 for credential access through interception techniques, as users may unknowingly provide authentication credentials to spoofed servers.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action including updating to a patched version of the application where certificate validation has been properly implemented. System administrators and users should ensure that all security applications maintain proper certificate validation procedures and that the application performs full certificate chain validation against trusted certificate authorities. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual certificate behavior patterns, and organizations should implement certificate pinning mechanisms where appropriate. The fix should include proper implementation of certificate verification routines that check certificate validity periods, issuer authenticity, and hostname matching to prevent the acceptance of fraudulent certificates. Additionally, regular security audits should verify that all network communication components maintain proper cryptographic security practices and that certificate validation is consistently enforced throughout the application's codebase.