CVE-2014-5834 in Solitaire Deluxe
Summary
by MITRE
The Solitaire Deluxe (aka com.gosub60.solfree2) application 2.8.5 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-2014-5834 affects the Solitaire Deluxe Android application version 2.8.5, specifically targeting its implementation of secure communication protocols. This flaw represents a critical security weakness in the application's approach to establishing trust with remote servers, as it fails to properly validate the authenticity of SSL/TLS certificates presented during secure connections. The application's insecure certificate validation mechanism creates an exploitable condition that undermines the fundamental security assurances typically provided by Transport Layer Security implementations.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to perform proper X.509 certificate verification during SSL handshakes, which directly violates established security best practices and industry standards. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-295 category of "Improper Certificate Validation" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for "Phishing via Social Media" and T1041 for "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel" when exploited. The absence of certificate pinning or proper validation allows attackers to present fraudulent certificates that the application will accept without question, effectively bypassing the security layer designed to protect against malicious actors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant, as it enables man-in-the-middle attacks that can compromise sensitive user data and system integrity. Attackers can intercept communications between the vulnerable application and legitimate servers, potentially gaining access to personal information, session tokens, or other confidential data transmitted over the network. This weakness particularly affects applications that handle user credentials, personal communications, or financial information, as the compromised trust relationship allows for unauthorized data access and potential identity theft.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's secure communication layer. Developers should implement certificate pinning to ensure that only specific certificates or certificate authorities are accepted, and should utilize established security libraries that properly validate X.509 certificates according to industry standards. The fix requires updating the application to perform comprehensive certificate chain validation, including checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate signatures, and ensuring that certificates are issued by trusted certificate authorities. Additionally, implementing proper error handling for certificate validation failures and logging such events can help detect potential attacks and maintain security posture. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level security controls such as deep packet inspection and certificate monitoring to detect and prevent exploitation attempts.