CVE-2014-5828 in 3Kundenzone
Summary
by MITRE
The 3Kundenzone (aka com.hutchison3g.at.android.selfcare) application 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 • 09/02/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5828 represents a critical security flaw in the 3Kundenzone Android application developed by Hutchison 3G Austria. This application, designed for customer self-care services, fails to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during network communications, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit. The flaw specifically affects the certificate verification process within the application's secure communication layer, where it does not adequately validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers. This deficiency directly violates fundamental security principles of secure communication and authentication.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification. When the application establishes secure connections to backend servers, it accepts any certificate presented without verifying its authenticity, validity, or trustworthiness. This behavior creates a man-in-the-middle attack vector where malicious actors can intercept communications and present fraudulent certificates that the application will accept as legitimate. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel," as it enables unauthorized data access through compromised communication channels.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial, particularly given that the application provides access to sensitive customer information and potentially financial data. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can intercept and modify communications between users and the application's servers, potentially gaining access to personal identification details, account credentials, billing information, and other confidential data. The attack surface is particularly concerning in mobile environments where users may connect through untrusted networks such as public wi-fi hotspots, making the exploitation of this vulnerability more likely in real-world scenarios. This flaw undermines the entire purpose of implementing SSL/TLS encryption for protecting sensitive data in transit.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-5828 should focus on implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The fix requires the application to enforce certificate chain validation, including checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate authorities, and ensuring certificate signatures match the expected trust roots. Security patches should implement proper SSL pinning where the application validates that the server certificate matches a known, trusted certificate or public key. Additionally, developers should implement certificate revocation checking and ensure that the application does not accept self-signed certificates or certificates from untrusted authorities. The remediation aligns with industry best practices outlined in OWASP Mobile Top 10 M3 and NIST SP 800-52, which emphasize the importance of proper certificate management and validation in mobile applications. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish proper incident response procedures for handling certificate-related security incidents.