CVE-2014-5989 in baby days
Summary
by MITRE
The baby days (aka jp.co.cyberagent.babydays) application 1.5.8 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-2014-5989 affects the baby days mobile application version 1.5.8 for android platforms, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue 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 directly impacts the application's ability to establish trust with remote servers, undermining the fundamental security mechanisms designed to protect sensitive information transmitted between mobile devices and backend services.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's improper handling of certificate validation within its SSL/TLS implementation. Specifically, the application does not perform adequate verification of X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers, which violates established security protocols for secure communication. This flaw allows attackers to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The absence of proper certificate pinning or validation mechanisms means that the application accepts any certificate without sufficient scrutiny, creating opportunities for attackers to intercept and potentially modify sensitive data transmitted through the application's network connections.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability exposes users to significant risks including data interception, credential theft, and unauthorized access to personal information. Attackers can exploit this weakness to eavesdrop on communications between the mobile application and its backend services, potentially gaining access to user accounts, personal data, financial information, or other sensitive content. The vulnerability is particularly concerning for applications handling sensitive user information such as healthcare data, personal identifiers, or financial transactions, as the compromised communication channel could lead to substantial privacy violations and potential financial fraud.
The security implications of CVE-2014-5989 align with several common weakness enumerations and attack patterns documented in industry frameworks. This vulnerability corresponds to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1573.002 for secure channel protocols. The flaw represents a failure in the application's certificate trust model, making it susceptible to attacks that would normally be prevented by proper certificate validation. Organizations should consider implementing certificate pinning strategies, proper certificate validation routines, and regular security assessments to prevent similar vulnerabilities from affecting their mobile applications. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to mobile application security standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project, which emphasizes the critical need for proper SSL/TLS implementation and certificate validation in mobile applications to maintain data integrity and user privacy.