CVE-2014-5767 in IM+
Summary
by MITRE
The IM+ (aka de.shapeservices.impluslite) application 6.6.2 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-2014-5767 resides within the IM+ application version 6.6.2 for Android operating systems, representing a critical flaw in the application's secure communication protocols. This issue manifests as a complete failure to implement proper certificate verification mechanisms when establishing SSL connections with remote servers. The absence of X.509 certificate validation creates a fundamental security weakness that directly undermines the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted between the mobile application and its backend services.
The technical flaw stems from the application's improper handling of SSL/TLS certificate validation processes, where the IM+ client fails to perform the essential steps required to verify the authenticity of server certificates. This includes not checking certificate expiration dates, not validating certificate authorities, and not ensuring proper certificate chaining. The vulnerability specifically affects the application's ability to establish secure communication channels, leaving users exposed to various forms of cryptographic attacks that exploit this missing validation layer.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant attack surface for man-in-the-middle adversaries who can exploit the missing certificate verification to impersonate legitimate servers. Attackers can generate and present crafted certificates that appear valid to the vulnerable application, allowing them to intercept, modify, or steal sensitive information transmitted through the application. This includes user credentials, personal data, financial information, and other confidential communications that the application handles during normal operation. The vulnerability essentially renders the SSL/TLS security model ineffective for this particular application, providing attackers with a straightforward path to compromise user data.
The implications of this vulnerability extend beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally breaks the trust model that secure mobile applications rely upon for protecting user privacy and security. This flaw aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" in security protocols, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should be implemented in all applications handling sensitive user data. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1041, which describes "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel" and demonstrates how weak certificate validation can enable attackers to establish persistent communication channels for data theft and further exploitation.
Organizations and users should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version of the IM+ application where certificate validation has been properly implemented, deploying network monitoring solutions to detect suspicious certificate behavior, and considering network-level controls such as certificate pinning to prevent the use of unauthorized certificates. Additionally, system administrators should implement network segmentation and traffic inspection to identify and block suspicious communications patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper certificate validation in mobile applications and highlights the necessity of comprehensive security testing during the development lifecycle to prevent such fundamental security flaws from reaching production environments.