CVE-2014-6639 in TIO MobilePay - Bill Payments
Summary
by MITRE
The TIO MobilePay - Bill Payments (aka com.tionetworks.mobile.android.tioclient) application 1.1.1 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 • 09/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6639 affects the TIO MobilePay Bill Payments Android application version 1.1.1, representing a critical security flaw in the mobile payment ecosystem. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during secure communications with backend servers, creating a significant attack vector for malicious actors. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-295 which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications, making it a direct descendant of well-established cryptographic security weaknesses that have plagued mobile applications for years. Mobile payment applications are particularly sensitive to such flaws given their handling of financial data and personal identification information.
The technical implementation flaw manifests in the application's SSL certificate verification process where it fails to properly validate the certificate chain against trusted root authorities. This weakness allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting a maliciously crafted certificate that appears legitimate to the vulnerable application. The certificate validation process is designed to ensure that communications occur between the user's device and the genuine server, but without proper verification the application accepts any certificate presented, regardless of its authenticity or trustworthiness. This vulnerability directly violates industry standards for secure communication protocols and represents a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to gain access to sensitive financial information including payment details, user credentials, and personal identification data. Mobile payment applications are prime targets for attackers due to the high-value assets they handle, and this certificate verification flaw essentially removes the security layer that protects against such attacks. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 which describes the use of man-in-the-middle attacks to intercept and manipulate communications, making it a direct threat to the confidentiality and integrity of mobile payment transactions. Organizations using this application face significant risk of financial fraud and data breaches that could result in regulatory penalties and loss of customer trust.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must include immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The fix requires the application to validate SSL certificates against a trusted certificate store and implement certificate pinning where appropriate to prevent the acceptance of untrusted certificates. Security patches should be deployed immediately to all affected versions, and the application should be updated to enforce strict certificate validation during all secure communications. Additionally, organizations should implement monitoring for suspicious certificate usage patterns and consider implementing additional security layers such as mutual authentication to further protect against this type of attack. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications and the need for comprehensive security testing before deployment to production environments.