CVE-2014-5768 in Food Planner
Summary
by MITRE
The Food Planner (aka dk.boggie.madplan.android) application 4.8.4.3-google 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-2014-5768 affects the Food Planner Android application version 4.8.4.3-google, 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 vector that undermines the fundamental security assurances typically provided by secure communication channels. The flaw exists within the application's cryptographic implementation and represents a direct violation of established security practices for mobile application development.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it firmly within the scope of CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols. The application's failure to verify SSL server certificates means that it accepts any certificate presented by a server without proper authentication, effectively disabling the certificate pinning mechanism that should protect against man-in-the-middle attacks. This weakness allows attackers to establish fraudulent SSL connections with the application, potentially intercepting or modifying sensitive data transmitted between the mobile device and remote servers. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate validation process, which is a critical component of the TLS protocol stack that ensures the authenticity of communicating parties.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability exposes users to significant risks including data interception, credential theft, and unauthorized access to personal information stored within the application or transmitted through it. Attackers can exploit this weakness by presenting malicious certificates to the application, creating a false sense of security while simultaneously gaining access to sensitive user data. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks such as session hijacking or privilege escalation within the application's data processing environment. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1046, which involves the use of man-in-the-middle attacks to intercept communications, and T1566, which addresses social engineering through fake certificates.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention from both developers and security administrators. Application developers must implement proper certificate validation mechanisms that verify certificate chains against trusted root authorities, implement certificate pinning where appropriate, and ensure that all SSL/TLS connections undergo rigorous verification before establishing secure communication channels. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect anomalous certificate behavior and establish incident response procedures for handling potential exploitation attempts. Security patches should be deployed immediately to address the underlying certificate validation flaw, and users should be advised to avoid using the vulnerable application until proper updates are installed. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of certificate validation logic and implementation of automated certificate monitoring systems to prevent similar issues from occurring in future releases.