CVE-2014-5845 in Strike Fighters Israel
Summary
by MITRE
The Strike Fighters Israel (aka com.thirdwire.strikefighters.mideast.android) application 1.2.4 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 described in CVE-2014-5845 represents a critical security flaw in the Strike Fighters Israel mobile application version 1.2.4 for Android platforms. This application, designed to provide military simulation content, exhibits a fundamental cryptographic weakness that undermines the security of all data transmitted between the mobile device and remote servers. The flaw resides in the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS handshakes, creating an exploitable condition that enables malicious actors to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks against unsuspecting users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's improper handling of SSL certificate validation processes. When establishing secure connections to remote servers, the application does not perform the necessary verification steps required to ensure certificate authenticity. This includes failing to check certificate chains, validate issuer information, or confirm that the certificate has not been revoked. The absence of these security controls means that attackers can present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application, allowing them to intercept and potentially modify communications between the mobile device and backend services.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for users of the Strike Fighters Israel application. The man-in-the-middle attack vector enables threat actors to obtain sensitive information including user credentials, personal data, and potentially confidential military simulation content or configuration parameters. The impact extends beyond simple data theft since the application's nature suggests it may handle classified or sensitive military information. Additionally, the vulnerability could be exploited to deliver malicious payloads or redirect users to compromised servers that appear legitimate to the application's security mechanisms.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" in security protocols. This weakness directly enables the attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the technique T1566 for "Phishing" and T1041 for "Exfiltration" through the exploitation of weak SSL/TLS implementations. The vulnerability represents a failure in the application's security architecture that violates fundamental principles of secure communication and authentication.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation procedures within the application. Developers must ensure that all SSL/TLS connections perform comprehensive certificate verification including chain of trust validation, expiration date checks, and certificate revocation status verification. The application should implement certificate pinning mechanisms to prevent the acceptance of unauthorized certificates, even if they appear valid. Additionally, security updates should be deployed immediately to address the vulnerability, with users urged to install the latest version of the application as soon as possible to restore proper cryptographic security controls.