CVE-2014-5981 in MoWeather
Summary
by MITRE
The MoWeather (aka com.moji.moweather) application 1.40.05 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-2014-5981 affects the MoWeather Android application version 1.40.05, representing a critical security flaw in certificate validation mechanisms. This issue falls under the category of improper certificate verification, which is classified as CWE-295 within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The application fails to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications, creating a significant security gap that adversaries can exploit to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's ability to establish trust with legitimate servers, as it does not implement proper certificate chain validation or hostname verification processes that are fundamental to secure TLS communications.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to perform certificate pinning or proper certificate trust verification during SSL handshakes. When the MoWeather application establishes secure connections to its backend services, it does not validate the server certificates against trusted certificate authorities or implement any form of certificate pinning to ensure the authenticity of the communicating server. This weakness allows attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application, enabling them to intercept, modify, or steal sensitive data transmitted between the mobile device and the server infrastructure. The vulnerability essentially removes the cryptographic assurance that secure communications provide, leaving users' personal information, location data, and other sensitive details exposed to potential interception.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it fundamentally undermines the security posture of the application and its users. Mobile weather applications like MoWeather typically collect and transmit location data, user preferences, and potentially personal information about users' daily routines. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain access to sensitive user data, including geolocation information that could be used for targeted attacks or privacy violations. The man-in-the-middle capability also allows for content manipulation, where attackers could inject malicious advertisements or redirect users to phishing sites while maintaining the appearance of legitimate weather services. This vulnerability affects not only individual user privacy but also potentially compromises the integrity of the entire application ecosystem by enabling unauthorized access to backend services that may handle additional user data or business-critical information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention from both application developers and security administrators. The primary fix involves implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms that verify certificate chains against trusted root certificates and perform hostname verification to ensure certificates match the expected server names. Security professionals should implement certificate pinning for critical application components to prevent the acceptance of fraudulent certificates even if they are signed by trusted authorities. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate certificate validation failures or unauthorized interception attempts. According to ATT&CK framework techniques, this vulnerability aligns with T1041 (Exfiltration Over C2 Channel) and T1566 (Phishing) as attackers could leverage the compromised application to establish persistent access or conduct social engineering campaigns using stolen data. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and regular security assessments can help identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications and systems within the organization's infrastructure.