CVE-2014-5952 in E-Dziennik
Summary
by MITRE
The E-Dziennik (aka com.librus.dziennik) application 0.5.2 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 • 09/08/2024
The CVE-2014-5952 vulnerability affects the E-Dziennik Android application version 0.5.2, which is used for school communication and grade tracking. This application serves as a digital diary system connecting students, parents, and teachers within educational institutions, making it a critical component of the school communication infrastructure. The vulnerability stems from improper implementation of SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms within the application's network security layer.
The technical flaw resides in the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS handshakes. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's cryptographic security implementation, specifically violating the principles of certificate pinning and trust verification. The vulnerability creates a path for man-in-the-middle attacks where attackers can present malicious certificates that the application accepts without proper verification. This weakness directly maps to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and demonstrates poor implementation of the SSL/TLS protocol stack within the Android application environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for users of the E-Dziennik application, as it exposes sensitive educational data to unauthorized access. Attackers can intercept and modify communications between the mobile application and backend servers, potentially gaining access to student grades, personal information, attendance records, and communication between educational stakeholders. The vulnerability undermines the confidentiality and integrity of the entire communication system, as users believe they are communicating securely with legitimate servers while actually interacting with attacker-controlled intermediaries. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited repeatedly without detection.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-5952 require immediate implementation of proper SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The recommended approach involves implementing certificate pinning techniques where the application maintains a trusted list of certificate fingerprints or public keys, and validates server certificates against this established trust store. Additionally, developers should implement certificate chain validation using standard Android security APIs and avoid custom certificate validation logic that bypasses system security measures. This vulnerability highlights the importance of following established security frameworks and standards, including those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and NIST guidelines for mobile application security. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks and establish proper incident response procedures for security breaches. The fix requires comprehensive code review and security testing to ensure that all network communications properly validate server certificates and maintain the integrity of the application's secure communication channels.