CVE-2014-5908 in Kmart
Summary
by MITRE
The Kmart (aka com.kmart.android) application @7F0C00EF 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 • 09/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5908 affects the Kmart mobile application for Android platforms, specifically at the address 7F0C00EF within the application binary. This represents a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols, where the software fails to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections. The absence of certificate verification creates a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks against users of the application. This vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles established in industry standards such as CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in secure communication implementations. The flaw enables attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application, thereby undermining the entire purpose of SSL/TLS encryption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to perform proper certificate chain validation and hostname checking during SSL handshakes. When the Kmart application establishes secure connections to its backend services, it does not validate whether the server's certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority or whether the certificate's subject matches the expected hostname. This allows malicious actors to intercept communications by presenting forged certificates that the application accepts without proper scrutiny. The vulnerability operates at the transport layer security implementation level, specifically targeting the SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism. Attackers can leverage this weakness to capture sensitive user data, including personal information, login credentials, and financial details transmitted through the application's secure channels. The flaw essentially disables the cryptographic protection mechanisms that should safeguard user communications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it compromises the integrity and confidentiality of all communications between the mobile application and its servers. Users of the Kmart application face significant risks including identity theft, financial fraud, and unauthorized access to their personal accounts. The vulnerability affects the application's ability to maintain secure connections, potentially allowing attackers to inject malicious content, redirect users to fraudulent websites, or simply eavesdrop on sensitive transactions. This weakness undermines the trust relationship between the user and the application, as the security guarantees that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide become meaningless. The impact is particularly severe given that the application handles sensitive customer information, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals who can exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to user accounts and personal data.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL/TLS certificate validation within the application's network communication stack. The fix involves implementing robust certificate verification procedures that include checking certificate chains against trusted root certificates, validating hostname matches, and ensuring certificate expiration dates are properly enforced. Organizations should implement certificate pinning mechanisms to prevent the acceptance of unauthorized certificates, as recommended by the OWASP Mobile Security Project guidelines. Additionally, the application should be updated to use secure SSL/TLS protocol versions and cipher suites that meet current security standards. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in the application's security implementation. The remediation process should also include updating the application's certificate trust store and implementing proper error handling for certificate validation failures to prevent the application from proceeding with insecure connections. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to established security frameworks such as those outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO/IEC 27001 standards for mobile application security.