CVE-2014-5967 in Designs Nail Arts
Summary
by MITRE
The Designs Nail Arts (aka com.decoracionesnailart.flickr) application 3.6.1 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5967 affects the Designs Nail Arts Android application version 3.6.1, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue manifests as a failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The application's insecure handling of certificate verification directly violates fundamental principles of secure communication and cryptographic best practices that are essential for protecting sensitive information transmitted over network connections.
The technical flaw stems from the application's complete omission of certificate validation procedures during SSL handshakes, specifically failing to implement proper certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or trust anchor checking. This deficiency allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and represents a classic example of weak cryptographic implementation where the security controls designed to protect against certificate-based attacks are entirely absent. Attackers can exploit this weakness by intercepting network traffic between the application and its servers, presenting malicious certificates that the application accepts without proper verification, thereby enabling them to decrypt and access sensitive user information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it undermines the entire trust model that secure communication protocols are designed to establish. Users of the Designs Nail Arts application face significant risks including exposure of personal information, authentication credentials, and potentially financial data if the application handles any form of payment or user account management. The vulnerability creates a persistent security risk that affects all users of the affected application version and remains active until the underlying certificate validation mechanism is properly implemented. This flaw particularly impacts mobile applications that handle sensitive user data, as mobile platforms often have limited built-in security controls compared to desktop environments, making proper application-level certificate validation even more critical for maintaining user trust and data protection.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL certificate validation within the application's network communication layer. The recommended approach involves implementing comprehensive certificate chain validation, including hostname checking against the certificate's subject alternative names, and proper trust anchor verification against established certificate authorities. Organizations should also consider implementing certificate pinning mechanisms to further strengthen the security posture against certificate-based attacks. The remediation process should align with industry standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and NIST guidelines for secure mobile application development, ensuring that all cryptographic implementations follow established best practices for SSL/TLS certificate validation. Additionally, regular security testing and code reviews should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future application versions, with particular attention to the implementation of secure communication protocols in mobile environments.