CVE-2014-5801 in DataGard VPN + AV
Summary
by MITRE
The DataGard VPN + AV (aka ocshield.com) application @7F050013 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 vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5801 affects the DataGard VPN + AV application version 7F050013 for Android devices, representing a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism. This weakness resides in the application's failure to properly verify X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications, creating a significant attack surface that compromises the integrity of encrypted connections. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's ability to establish trust with legitimate servers while simultaneously enabling malicious actors to exploit the trust model through certificate spoofing techniques.
This technical flaw constitutes a direct violation of fundamental security principles governing secure communication protocols and represents a classification under CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in security software. The absence of proper certificate verification allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The attack vector specifically targets the SSL/TLS handshake process where the application should validate certificate chains against trusted Certificate Authorities but instead accepts any certificate presented by an attacker, effectively bypassing the entire certificate validation infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to obtain sensitive information through crafted certificates that can masquerade as legitimate servers. This weakness particularly affects users of the DataGard VPN + AV application who rely on the software for secure network communications, potentially exposing confidential data, credentials, and personal information to unauthorized parties. The vulnerability undermines the core security promise of SSL/TLS encryption by allowing attackers to establish fraudulent secure connections that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, creating a false sense of security for users who believe their communications are protected.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms that align with industry standards such as those specified in the NIST SP 800-57 and RFC 5280 guidelines for X.509 certificate validation. Organizations should ensure that the application enforces certificate chain validation, checks certificate expiration dates, verifies certificate signatures against trusted CAs, and implements proper hostname verification during SSL/TLS handshakes. The remediation process requires developers to implement certificate pinning where appropriate, maintain up-to-date certificate trust stores, and ensure that all certificate validation occurs before establishing secure connections. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following ATT&CK framework techniques related to credential access and defense evasion, as attackers can leverage this weakness to establish persistent access to sensitive information while remaining undetected by traditional security monitoring systems.