CVE-2014-5973 in Aquarium Advice
Summary
by MITRE
The Aquarium Advice (aka com.socialknowledge.aquariumadvice) application 3.7.6 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-2014-5973 affects the Aquarium Advice Android application version 3.7.6, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communications. This weakness stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification process that should establish trust between the mobile application and remote servers, fundamentally undermining the security of encrypted communications.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's absence of proper certificate pinning or validation mechanisms, allowing attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. This weakness directly violates fundamental security principles of certificate-based authentication and enables attackers to intercept, modify, or steal sensitive information transmitted between the mobile device and target servers. The vulnerability falls under CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation, and represents a critical failure in the application's cryptographic implementation. The absence of certificate verification creates a pathway for attackers to establish fraudulent SSL connections that the application accepts without proper scrutiny.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it enables comprehensive surveillance and data manipulation capabilities for attackers. Mobile users of the Aquarium Advice application face risks including credential theft, personal information disclosure, financial data compromise, and potential identity fraud when communicating with servers that the application connects to. The vulnerability affects all users who rely on the application for sensitive interactions, particularly those accessing financial or personal data through the mobile interface. This weakness is particularly dangerous in environments where network traffic may be monitored or controlled by malicious actors, as the application provides no protection against such attacks. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which describes data obfuscation through man-in-the-middle attacks, and T1566, covering credential access through phishing or network manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers should implement certificate pinning techniques that explicitly verify server certificates against known good certificates or public key fingerprints, preventing the acceptance of fraudulent certificates. The application must establish a robust certificate trust model that validates certificate chains through trusted certificate authorities while maintaining mechanisms to detect and reject certificate anomalies. Security updates should include proper SSL/TLS configuration that enforces certificate validation, implements certificate transparency checks, and maintains up-to-date trust stores. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect anomalous certificate behavior and establish secure communication protocols that protect against such attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications and underscores the necessity of adhering to security best practices for certificate validation and secure communications.