CVE-2014-5960 in Federal Doctors
Summary
by MITRE
The BundesArztsuche (aka de.kbv.bas) application 1.0.1 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 the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5960 affects the BundesArztsuche Android application version 1.0.1, which is used for medical professional directory searches in Germany. This application demonstrates a critical flaw in its secure communication implementation that directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted between the mobile client and remote servers. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates, creating a significant security gap that adversaries can exploit to compromise the communication channel.
The technical flaw resides in the application's SSL certificate verification mechanism, which operates under the principle of certificate pinning failure. When an Android application establishes secure connections to remote servers, it should validate the server's X.509 certificate against a trusted certificate authority to ensure the authenticity of the endpoint. The BundesArztsuche application bypasses this crucial validation step, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness specifically relates to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications. The vulnerability enables a man-in-the-middle attack scenario where malicious actors can intercept and manipulate data flows without detection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as the application handles sensitive medical information including professional directories, contact details, and potentially patient-related data. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can establish fraudulent server endpoints that appear authentic to the mobile application, enabling them to capture login credentials, personal health information, or other confidential data transmitted through the insecure channel. The attack vector requires the adversary to position themselves within the network path between the mobile device and the legitimate server, potentially through compromised Wi-Fi networks, public internet connections, or network infrastructure breaches. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046, which covers network service scanning and T1566, which addresses credential harvesting through social engineering or network attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper SSL certificate validation within the application's network communication layer. The solution involves configuring the application to perform strict certificate validation against trusted certificate authorities, implementing certificate pinning mechanisms, and ensuring that all SSL/TLS connections undergo proper verification before data transmission occurs. Security patches should update the application to enforce certificate chain validation, implement trust store verification, and reject connections when certificate validation fails. Organizations should also consider implementing additional network-level protections such as encrypted DNS resolution, network segmentation, and monitoring for suspicious certificate usage patterns. The remediation process should include thorough code review of all network communication components and implementation of automated testing to verify certificate validation behavior. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications, particularly those handling sensitive personal information, and underscores the necessity of following security best practices outlined in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and OWASP Mobile Top 10 for secure mobile development practices.