CVE-2014-5841 in Girls Calendar Period
Summary
by MITRE
The Girls Calendar Period&Weight (aka jp.co.cybird.apps.lifestyle.cal) application 3.2.2 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 • 09/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5841 affects the Girls Calendar Period&Weight mobile application version 3.2.2 for Android platforms, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. 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 integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification mechanism that should ensure secure communication between the mobile client and remote servers, fundamentally undermining the security assurances that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide.
The technical implementation flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate chain validation within the application's secure communication stack. This allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The application's failure to validate certificate authorities, expiration dates, and certificate signatures creates a pathway for attackers to intercept and manipulate communications without detection. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communication implementations, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041 where adversaries exploit weak certificate validation to establish persistent access points.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to obtain sensitive user information including personal health data, calendar entries, and weight tracking information that users entrust to the application. The compromised communication channel allows for complete data manipulation, enabling attackers to inject malicious content, redirect users to fraudulent services, or simply eavesdrop on all transmitted information. This creates a persistent threat vector that remains active as long as the vulnerable application version is installed on user devices, potentially affecting thousands of users who have downloaded the application from official app stores.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-5841 require immediate application updates that implement proper certificate validation mechanisms including certificate pinning, robust chain of trust verification, and comprehensive certificate expiration checking. Organizations should implement certificate transparency measures and consider deploying additional network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The fix should include proper implementation of trust stores, certificate revocation checking, and validation of certificate signatures against known trusted authorities. Security professionals should also consider implementing network-level protections such as deep packet inspection and SSL/TLS protocol enforcement to prevent exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper secure communication implementation in mobile applications and serves as a reminder of the potential consequences when cryptographic validation mechanisms are improperly implemented or omitted from security-conscious application development processes.