CVE-2014-5831 in Hotel Story: Resort Simulation
Summary
by MITRE
The Hotel Story: Resort Simulation (aka com.happylabs.hotelstory) application 1.7.9B 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-2014-5831 affects the Hotel Story: Resort Simulation Android application version 1.7.9B, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue manifests as a failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish trust with remote servers, fundamentally undermining the security model designed to protect sensitive information exchanges between mobile clients and backend services.
The technical flaw resides in the application's SSL certificate validation mechanism, which operates outside the established security protocols defined by industry standards. When an Android application establishes secure connections to remote servers, it should validate the server's X.509 certificate against a trusted certificate authority to ensure the authenticity of the endpoint. However, this vulnerability demonstrates a complete absence of such validation, allowing attackers to present malicious certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness enables man-in-the-middle attacks where adversaries can intercept, modify, or steal sensitive data transmitted between the mobile application and its servers, including user credentials, personal information, and transaction data.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates severe implications for both user privacy and corporate security. Mobile applications that fail to validate SSL certificates expose users to data breaches, identity theft, and financial fraud, particularly when the application handles sensitive user information or processes transactions. The impact extends beyond individual users to potentially compromise enterprise data when the application integrates with backend systems or cloud services. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to user accounts, manipulate application data, or redirect users to malicious endpoints while maintaining the appearance of legitimate communication. The vulnerability's persistence across version 1.7.9B indicates a systemic security flaw that could affect multiple users simultaneously, amplifying the potential damage from a single exploitation event.
The security implications align with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1046, "Network Service Scanning," and T1566, "Phishing," as attackers can leverage the vulnerability to establish unauthorized communication channels. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating the application to a version that properly validates SSL certificates, implementing certificate pinning strategies, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of mobile applications. Additionally, developers must ensure proper implementation of SSL/TLS validation mechanisms that comply with industry standards such as those specified in NIST SP 800-52 for certificate validation and RFC 5280 for X.509 certificate handling. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of secure coding practices in mobile application development and the necessity of thorough security testing before deployment to production environments.