CVE-2014-5925 in 10000 Kindle Books Downloads
Summary
by MITRE
The 10000 Kindle Books Downloads (aka com.ww10000KindleBooksLatestnBestSellers) application 0.312 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 • 09/07/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-5925 represents a critical security flaw in the Android application com.ww10000KindleBooksLatestnBestSellers version 0.312 which operates under the CWE-295 weakness category related to improper certificate validation. This application fails to properly verify X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that enables malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks against users of the application. The flaw occurs at the transport layer security validation step where the application accepts any certificate presented by a server without performing the required certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or trust anchor checking processes that are fundamental to secure communication protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception as it fundamentally undermines the security model of encrypted communications within the application. Attackers can exploit this weakness by presenting a maliciously crafted certificate to establish a false SSL connection with the application, thereby allowing them to decrypt and potentially manipulate all data transmitted between the user device and the server. This vulnerability directly maps to the ATT&CK technique T1573.002 which involves establishing unauthorized communication channels through the use of unverified certificates. The implications are particularly severe for an application that handles user data and potentially payment information, as it creates opportunities for attackers to intercept sensitive user credentials, personal information, and transaction details.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to position themselves within the network path between the Android device and the legitimate server, typically through network-level attacks such as ARP spoofing, DNS poisoning, or by compromising network infrastructure. The application's failure to implement proper certificate pinning or certificate validation mechanisms means that even if the attacker cannot directly intercept the traffic, they can still present a certificate that appears valid to the application. This flaw represents a classic example of insufficient cryptographic validation and violates fundamental security principles outlined in NIST SP 800-52 and RFC 5280 standards for certificate validation. The vulnerability affects all users of the application who establish SSL connections with servers, making it a widespread concern that could be exploited across multiple server endpoints. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including certificate pinning, proper certificate validation, and network monitoring to detect and prevent such attacks. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing proper SSL/TLS configuration as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and the CWE top 25 most dangerous software weaknesses.