CVE-2014-5941 in Spa
Summary
by MITRE
The Armpit Spa & Girl Games (aka com.freegames.spamakeover) application 1.0.2 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 • 09/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5941 affects the Armpit Spa & Girl Games Android application version 1.0.2, representing a critical security flaw in the application's network communication implementation. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during secure communications, creating a significant attack vector for malicious actors. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification process that should establish trust between the mobile application and remote servers. According to CWE-295, this represents a weakness in certificate validation mechanisms where the application accepts any certificate without proper verification, making it susceptible to various cryptographic attacks. The flaw exists within the application's SSL/TLS implementation and demonstrates poor security practices in mobile application development.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability enables man-in-the-middle attackers to conduct sophisticated attacks against the application's network communications. Attackers can craft malicious certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, allowing them to intercept and manipulate data transmitted between the mobile device and remote servers. This weakness specifically enables attackers to spoof legitimate SSL servers and potentially obtain sensitive information such as user credentials, personal data, or session tokens. The vulnerability operates at the transport layer security level, where proper certificate chain validation should occur but fails to do so. The application essentially accepts any certificate presented by a server, regardless of its authenticity or trustworthiness, which directly violates fundamental principles of secure communication protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, potentially enabling comprehensive data breaches and user privacy violations. Mobile applications relying on insecure certificate validation can expose users to credential theft, session hijacking, and data manipulation attacks. The vulnerability affects the application's ability to maintain secure communications, undermining the confidentiality and integrity of user data. According to ATT&CK technique T1041, this vulnerability enables adversaries to establish persistent access through secure channel manipulation. The flaw allows attackers to maintain long-term access to user accounts and sensitive information, as the application cannot distinguish between legitimate and malicious server certificates. This creates a persistent threat vector that can remain undetected for extended periods.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers must implement certificate pinning to ensure that only specific certificates or certificate authorities are accepted, preventing attackers from using forged certificates. The application should verify certificate chains against trusted root certificates and implement proper certificate expiration checking. Security updates should include the implementation of certificate validation libraries that properly verify SSL/TLS certificates according to industry standards. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect suspicious certificate usage patterns and establish secure communication protocols that align with NIST SP 800-52 guidelines for certificate management. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to prevent similar issues in future application releases and maintain compliance with mobile security best practices.