CVE-2014-5991 in Skin Conditions
Summary
by MITRE
The Skin Conditions and Diseases (aka com.appsgeyser.wSkinConditions) application 2.1 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 • 09/09/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5991 affects the Skin Conditions and Diseases Android application version 2.1, specifically targeting the application's secure communication protocols. This represents a critical security flaw in the mobile application's implementation of SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms. The application fails to properly verify X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure connections, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability falls under the category of improper certificate validation, which is classified as CWE-295 within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, specifically addressing issues related to certificate validation and trust verification.
The technical flaw manifests when the application establishes secure connections to remote servers without performing proper certificate chain validation. This weakness enables man-in-the-middle attackers to intercept communications by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The attack occurs because the application accepts any certificate presented by a server without verifying its authenticity through proper certificate authority validation, signature verification, or certificate expiration checks. This vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles of secure communication and enables attackers to establish false trust relationships with the application, potentially allowing them to capture sensitive user information, credentials, or personal data transmitted through the insecure connection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the application's communication layer. Mobile applications that fail to properly validate SSL certificates create opportunities for attackers to perform session hijacking, data manipulation, and information disclosure attacks. Users of the affected application may unknowingly transmit sensitive information to compromised servers, believing they are communicating securely with legitimate services. The vulnerability affects the application's ability to maintain data integrity and confidentiality, potentially exposing users to identity theft, financial fraud, and privacy violations. This flaw particularly impacts healthcare-related applications like skin condition diagnosis tools where sensitive medical information is transmitted, making the security implications even more severe.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The recommended approach involves implementing certificate pinning techniques, where the application explicitly trusts specific certificate authorities or certificate fingerprints rather than relying on the default trust store. Security patches should enforce certificate chain validation, including verification of certificate signatures, expiration dates, and proper certificate authority attribution. Organizations should also implement certificate validation libraries that properly handle X.509 certificate verification according to established security standards. The remediation process should include thorough code review of all network communication components, implementation of secure coding practices, and regular security testing to ensure proper certificate validation is maintained. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041 which addresses data compression and encryption, and represents a failure in the secure communication protocols that should be maintained by mobile applications handling sensitive user data.