CVE-2014-5784 in Bouncy Bill Seasons
Summary
by MITRE
The Bouncy Bill Seasons (aka mominis.Generic_Android.Bouncy_Bill_Seasons) application 1.3.9 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 • 09/01/2024
The Bouncy Bill Seasons Android application version 1.3.9 contains a critical security flaw in its SSL certificate verification implementation that fundamentally undermines the security of encrypted communications. This vulnerability represents a classic case of insufficient certificate validation where the application fails to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during the connection establishment process. The flaw exists within the application's cryptographic security framework and directly violates established security protocols that require strict certificate validation to prevent unauthorized parties from impersonating legitimate services.
This vulnerability creates a man-in-the-middle attack vector that allows malicious actors to intercept and manipulate communications between the Android application and remote servers. When the application establishes SSL connections, it accepts any certificate presented by the server without performing the necessary verification steps including checking certificate validity periods, validating the certificate chain, verifying the certificate authority, and ensuring the certificate matches the expected hostname. The absence of proper certificate pinning or validation mechanisms means that attackers can generate and present fraudulent certificates that the application will accept as legitimate, effectively breaking the encryption layer that should protect sensitive data transmission.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception to encompass complete compromise of user privacy and data integrity. Attackers can exploit this weakness to capture sensitive information transmitted through the application, including personal data, authentication credentials, financial information, and other confidential communications. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in mobile environments where users may be accessing sensitive services over public networks, making the attack surface significantly larger. The flaw essentially transforms the application from a secure communication channel into a potential data exfiltration point for malicious actors.
Security professionals should note this vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications. The issue also maps to ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers data compression and encryption, as the vulnerability undermines the encryption integrity of communications. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling the vulnerable application until a patched version is available, implementing network-level monitoring to detect suspicious certificate activity, and conducting security assessments of other applications that may exhibit similar certificate validation flaws. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications and serves as a reminder that even seemingly minor security oversights can create significant risks in the mobile ecosystem.