CVE-2014-5807 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
The Safari Browser (aka safari.safaribrowser.internetexplorer) application 1 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 • 09/02/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-5807 represents a critical security flaw in the Safari browser implementation for Android devices, specifically affecting version 1 of the safari.safaribrowser.internetexplorer application. This weakness fundamentally undermines the cryptographic security mechanisms that protect users from malicious actors attempting to intercept or manipulate their network communications. The issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS handshakes, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the absence of proper certificate validation procedures within the browser's SSL implementation. When users establish secure connections to websites, the browser should verify that the server's X.509 certificate is valid, properly signed by a trusted Certificate Authority, and matches the domain being accessed. However, in this vulnerable implementation, these critical verification steps are omitted or bypassed entirely. This allows attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the browser, enabling them to establish encrypted connections while simultaneously acting as intermediaries in the communication channel. The vulnerability specifically affects the certificate verification process, which is a core component of the Transport Layer Security protocol stack and represents a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability creates severe consequences for users of the affected Safari browser implementation. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform man-in-the-middle attacks against unsuspecting users, potentially capturing sensitive information such as login credentials, personal data, financial information, and other confidential communications transmitted over the network. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates transparently to users who remain unaware that their communications are being intercepted and potentially modified. This type of attack falls under the ATT&CK framework's technique T1573.002 for "Encrypted Channel" and T1041 for "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel," as it enables attackers to establish covert communication channels while maintaining the appearance of legitimate secure connections. The lack of certificate verification essentially eliminates the browser's ability to distinguish between legitimate and malicious servers, making all network communications potentially vulnerable to compromise.
Organizations and users should consider this vulnerability as a critical security risk requiring immediate attention and remediation. The recommended mitigation strategies include updating to the latest version of the Safari browser application where certificate validation has been properly implemented and verified. System administrators should also consider implementing additional network monitoring solutions to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks, as well as establishing network segmentation and traffic inspection capabilities to identify anomalous communication patterns. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability would likely violate security standards such as those outlined in ISO/IEC 27001 and NIST SP 800-53, which require proper certificate validation and secure communication protocols. The vulnerability also demonstrates the importance of proper security testing and validation of cryptographic implementations, as highlighted in CWE-295 which addresses "Improper Certificate Validation." Organizations should also implement security awareness training to educate users about the risks of connecting to untrusted networks and the importance of verifying website certificates manually when possible.