CVE-2014-5829 in Hobby Lobby Stores
Summary
by MITRE
The Hobby Lobby Stores (aka com.hobbylobbystores.android) application 2.1.9 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 • 09/02/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5829 represents a critical security flaw in the Hobby Lobby Stores Android application version 2.1.9 that fundamentally undermines the application's ability to establish secure communications with remote servers. This weakness stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's cryptographic security implementation and represents a clear violation of secure communication protocols that are essential for protecting sensitive user information.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's improper handling of certificate validation mechanisms within its SSL/TLS implementation. When the application establishes secure connections to backend servers, it fails to perform the necessary verification steps that would normally confirm the authenticity and validity of server certificates. This includes not checking certificate expiration dates, not validating certificate authorities, and not ensuring proper certificate chain validation. The absence of these critical security checks means that any attacker capable of presenting a forged certificate can establish a man-in-the-middle position between the user's device and the legitimate server. This weakness falls under the CWE-295 category of "Improper Certificate Validation" and specifically relates to the failure to validate X.509 certificates, making it a direct implementation of the insecure cryptographic practices that are well-documented in security standards.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data interception, as it creates a comprehensive attack vector that enables sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks. Attackers can exploit this weakness to decrypt and manipulate communications between the mobile application and backend services, potentially gaining access to sensitive user information including personal identification details, payment information, and other confidential data. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects a retail application that likely handles financial transactions and personal customer data, making it a prime target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit the trust relationship between users and the application. This weakness can be leveraged to perform session hijacking, data exfiltration, and even account takeover attacks, as the application cannot distinguish between legitimate and malicious server endpoints.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically under the technique of T1046 for Network Service Scanning and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers can use this weakness to establish persistent access points for further exploitation. The vulnerability also aligns with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework's Core Functions, particularly in the areas of Protect and Detect, as it represents a failure to implement proper cryptographic protections and lacks adequate monitoring for unauthorized certificate validation bypasses. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including certificate pinning, enhanced certificate validation checks, and regular security audits of mobile applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future. The remediation approach must include comprehensive code reviews focusing on cryptographic implementation, deployment of certificate transparency monitoring, and implementation of secure communication protocols that adhere to industry standards such as those defined in RFC 5280 for X.509 certificate validation and RFC 5246 for TLS protocol specifications.