CVE-2014-5864 in Swish payments
Summary
by MITRE
The Swish payments (aka se.bankgirot.swish) application 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 • 09/04/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5864 affects the Swish payments application for Android devices, specifically version 2 of the software. This represents a critical security flaw in the mobile payment ecosystem where the application fails to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during secure communications. The absence of certificate verification creates a significant attack vector that undermines the fundamental security assumptions of encrypted communications between mobile payment applications and their backend servers. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of financial transactions processed through the Swish platform, potentially exposing users to unauthorized access to their payment information and financial data.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure in the certificate validation process within the Android application's secure communication implementation. When establishing SSL connections to backend servers, the application does not perform proper X.509 certificate verification, which is a standard security practice in secure communication protocols. This omission allows attackers to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The flaw essentially disables the certificate pinning mechanism that should ensure the application only communicates with trusted servers, leaving the communication channel susceptible to interception and manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft to encompass full financial fraud capabilities. Attackers exploiting this weakness can intercept and modify payment transactions in real-time, potentially redirecting funds to attacker-controlled accounts or obtaining sensitive user credentials and payment information. The vulnerability affects the entire Swish payment ecosystem, as any transaction processed through the vulnerable Android application could be compromised. This represents a severe breach of trust in the mobile payment infrastructure, potentially affecting thousands of users who rely on the application for their financial transactions.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-295 which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" and represents a failure in the secure communication implementation. The attack vector maps to techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the "Credential Access" and "Command and Control" domains, where adversaries exploit weak certificate validation to establish unauthorized communication channels. The vulnerability also relates to the broader category of SSL/TLS misconfigurations that have been consistently identified as critical threats in mobile application security assessments. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including certificate pinning, proper SSL validation, and regular security audits of mobile payment applications to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in the future.
The security implications of CVE-2014-5864 demonstrate the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile payment applications. This vulnerability serves as a stark reminder of how a single missing security check can compromise entire financial ecosystems. The flaw highlights the need for comprehensive security testing, particularly in applications handling sensitive financial data, and underscores the importance of adhering to industry best practices for secure communications. Organizations processing financial transactions through mobile platforms must ensure robust certificate validation mechanisms are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited by malicious actors in the increasingly complex threat landscape.