CVE-2014-6004 in Pocket Cam Photo Editor
Summary
by MITRE
The Pocket Cam Photo Editor (aka mobi.pocketcam.editor) application 3 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-2014-6004 affects the Pocket Cam Photo Editor Android application version 3, representing a critical security flaw in the application's cryptographic implementation. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS communications, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's secure communication protocols, undermining the fundamental security guarantees that SSL/TLS encryption is designed to provide. This weakness allows malicious actors to establish fraudulent connections with the application's backend services, potentially intercepting or manipulating sensitive user information transmitted through the insecure communication channels.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's certificate validation process, where it fails to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification. According to CWE-295, this represents a vulnerability in the validation of certificate authorities and certificate path building, which directly correlates to the application's inability to verify the authenticity of SSL servers. The implementation lacks proper certificate pinning mechanisms and fails to validate certificate signatures against trusted root certificates. This weakness enables attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that the application accepts as legitimate, effectively bypassing the security controls that should protect against unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability operates at the transport layer security level, where the application should enforce certificate validation according to established cryptographic standards and best practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it creates opportunities for comprehensive attack scenarios that can compromise user privacy and system security. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain access to user photos, personal information, and potentially sensitive metadata that the application processes or transmits. The vulnerability affects the application's ability to maintain secure communications with its servers, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, session hijacking, and the injection of malicious content into user interactions. According to ATT&CK framework technique T1041, this vulnerability enables adversaries to perform network sniffing and data interception activities. The impact is particularly severe given that the application processes photo content, which may contain sensitive personal information, making it a valuable target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit user data for financial gain or identity theft.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's communication stack. The recommended approach includes implementing certificate pinning to ensure that the application only accepts certificates from specific, trusted authorities or specific certificate fingerprints. Security patches should enforce strict certificate chain validation, including verification of certificate signatures, expiration dates, and certificate authority trust relationships. Organizations should also implement proper SSL/TLS configuration settings that disable insecure protocols and cipher suites, while ensuring that the application validates certificate subject names against expected server identities. Additionally, regular security audits should be conducted to verify that certificate validation processes remain effective against evolving attack techniques. The fix should align with industry standards such as NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and ensure compliance with secure coding practices outlined in OWASP Mobile Top 10. Without immediate remediation, the application remains vulnerable to persistent attacks that can compromise user data and undermine trust in the application's security posture.