CVE-2014-5898 in Heavy Duty Truck Driver Simulator 3D
Summary
by MITRE
The Heavy Duty Truck Driver Simulator 3D (aka com.oas.heavy.duty.truck.driver.simulator3d) application 1.0.5 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 • 09/05/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5898 resides within the Heavy Duty Truck Driver Simulator 3D Android application version 1.0.5, representing a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS certificate verification mechanism. This application, designed for mobile devices, fails to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise the integrity of data transmission between the mobile application and remote servers.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate chain validation within the application's secure communication implementation. When the application establishes SSL connections to remote servers, it does not perform the essential steps required to verify certificate authenticity, including checking certificate signatures, validating certificate authorities, and ensuring proper certificate expiration dates. This absence of verification creates a trust relationship that can be easily manipulated by malicious actors who possess the capability to present forged certificates to the application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks that can completely compromise the security model of the application. Attackers can establish fraudulent SSL connections to the application's servers by presenting crafted certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, thereby allowing them to intercept, modify, or redirect sensitive information transmitted between the mobile device and the backend services. This vulnerability particularly affects applications that handle user credentials, personal information, or other sensitive data that requires secure transmission over network connections.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communication implementations. The flaw represents a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture and demonstrates poor implementation of cryptographic best practices. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1046 technique of Network Service Scanning, as attackers can leverage the certificate verification weakness to establish unauthorized communication channels with backend services.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers must ensure that all SSL connections perform comprehensive certificate chain validation, including checking certificate signatures against trusted certificate authorities, validating certificate expiration dates, and implementing proper certificate pinning where appropriate. The application should also implement certificate revocation checking mechanisms to detect compromised certificates and maintain updated trust stores containing trusted certificate authorities.
Organizations deploying this application should consider implementing additional network-level security controls such as SSL inspection capabilities and network segmentation to limit the potential impact of certificate-based attacks. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to ensure proper implementation of secure communication protocols. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of implementing proper software supply chain security measures, as this flaw could potentially be exploited to gain access to backend systems or user data repositories that the application interacts with during normal operation.