CVE-2014-5855 in CJmall
Summary
by MITRE
The CJmall (aka com.cjoshppingphone) application 4.1.8 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-2014-5855 represents a critical security flaw in the CJmall mobile application version 4.1.8 for Android platforms. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS communications, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The vulnerability specifically affects the application's secure communication protocols, undermining the fundamental security assurances that SSL/TLS encryption is designed to provide.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's implementation of certificate validation mechanisms within its SSL/TLS stack. When an Android application establishes secure connections to remote servers, it should verify the server's X.509 certificate against a trusted certificate authority to ensure the authenticity of the communication endpoint. However, the CJmall application fails to perform this essential verification step, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This flaw directly corresponds to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and represents a classic example of weak cryptographic implementation that violates fundamental security principles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, particularly within the context of mobile commerce applications that handle sensitive user information including personal data, payment details, and authentication credentials. Attackers can exploit this weakness through man-in-the-middle attacks, where they intercept communications between the mobile application and its backend servers. The crafted certificates can be designed to mimic legitimate server certificates, enabling attackers to decrypt and modify sensitive data in transit without detection. This vulnerability specifically aligns with ATT&CK technique T1573.002, which covers secure channel protocols, and represents a significant risk to user privacy and financial security. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to potentially enable session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized transactions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention from both application developers and security administrators. The primary remediation involves implementing proper certificate pinning mechanisms within the application, ensuring that the application only accepts certificates from specific trusted authorities or specific certificate fingerprints. Security professionals should also implement certificate validation checks that verify certificate chains against established trust stores and employ additional verification mechanisms such as certificate transparency. Organizations should consider implementing network-level protections including SSL inspection capabilities and monitoring for suspicious certificate usage patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to industry standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project, which emphasizes the necessity of proper cryptographic implementation and certificate validation in mobile applications. Additionally, regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other mobile applications and ensure comprehensive protection against similar attack vectors.