CVE-2014-5951 in SinoPac
Summary
by MITRE
The SinoPac (aka com.sionpac.app.SinoPac) application 2.4.2 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.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5951 affects the SinoPac mobile application version 2.4.2 for Android platforms, representing a critical security flaw in the application's cryptographic implementation. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that enables malicious actors to execute successful man-in-the-middle attacks against unsuspecting users. The flaw directly violates fundamental security principles of certificate-based authentication that are essential for maintaining secure communications between mobile applications and their backend servers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the application's SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism, where the software fails to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification. This weakness allows attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application, enabling them to intercept and potentially modify communications between the mobile client and target servers. The vulnerability specifically impacts the certificate verification process, where the application does not validate certificate expiration dates, issuer information, or cryptographic signatures that would normally prevent such attacks. This failure represents a direct violation of the security controls that should be implemented to maintain secure network communications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it exposes users to potential data theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized access to sensitive financial information. Attackers can exploit this weakness to eavesdrop on communications, capture login credentials, and potentially manipulate transactions or financial data being processed through the application. The vulnerability particularly affects financial applications where sensitive personal and monetary information is transmitted, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit financial data breaches. This weakness fundamentally undermines the security assurances that users expect from mobile banking and financial applications.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) catalog, specifically aligning with CWE-295 which addresses improper certificate validation and CWE-310 which covers cryptographic weaknesses. The attack vector can be mapped to ATT&CK techniques related to credential access and initial access, particularly through the use of man-in-the-middle tactics to compromise user sessions. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including certificate pinning mechanisms, proper certificate validation routines, and regular security audits of mobile applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future releases. The remediation process requires comprehensive code review of SSL/TLS implementation, enforcement of strict certificate validation policies, and deployment of updated application versions that properly verify certificate authenticity before establishing secure connections.