CVE-2014-5979 in Open Directory
Summary
by MITRE
The TV Bengali Open Directory (aka com.TVBengali) application 1.4 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-2014-5979 vulnerability affects the TV Bengali Open Directory Android application version 1.4, representing a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism. This vulnerability falls under the category of weak cryptographic practices and improper certificate verification, which are classified as CWE-295 in the Common Weakness Enumeration system. The application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates creates a significant attack surface that enables malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks against unsuspecting users. The vulnerability specifically targets the SSL/TLS implementation within the mobile application, where the software accepts any certificate without performing the necessary verification steps that should confirm the certificate's authenticity and trustworthiness.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's inability to perform certificate pinning or proper certificate chain validation during SSL connections. When the application establishes secure communications with remote servers, it should validate that the server's certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority and that the certificate's validity period, subject, and issuer fields match the expected server identity. However, the TV Bengali application bypasses these essential security checks, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1573.002, which describes the use of unencrypted or weakly encrypted communications to avoid detection and maintain persistence. The vulnerability essentially disables the cryptographic security measures designed to protect data integrity and confidentiality during network communications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it exposes users to potential data theft and privacy breaches. Attackers can exploit this weakness to intercept and modify communications between the application and its servers, potentially gaining access to user credentials, personal information, or other sensitive data transmitted through the application. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of all data exchanged through the application's network connections, making it particularly dangerous for applications that handle user authentication or personal information. The threat landscape for such vulnerabilities includes various attack vectors including public Wi-Fi network exploitation, compromised network infrastructure, or even sophisticated targeted attacks against specific user populations. This weakness also enables credential harvesting attacks where attackers can capture login information or session tokens that would otherwise be protected by proper SSL/TLS implementation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-5979 should focus on implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers should implement certificate pinning techniques that validate server certificates against a known set of trusted certificates or public keys, rather than relying on the default trust store validation. The application should perform comprehensive certificate chain validation including checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate signatures, and ensuring that the certificate's subject matches the expected server domain. Security measures should also include implementing proper error handling for certificate validation failures, ensuring that the application terminates connections when certificate validation fails rather than proceeding with potentially compromised communications. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect unusual certificate behavior or potential man-in-the-middle attacks. The remediation process requires updating the application to properly implement SSL/TLS certificate validation as outlined in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-52 and RFC 6125, which provide comprehensive guidance on certificate validation and secure communication protocols. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that certificate validation mechanisms remain effective against evolving attack techniques.