CVE-2014-6688 in Voices.com
Summary
by MITRE
The Voices.com (aka com.voices.voices) application 1.5 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 • 09/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6688 represents a critical security flaw in the Voices.com Android application version 1.5 that fundamentally undermines the application's ability to establish secure communications with remote servers. This weakness stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS handshakes, creating a significant attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's cryptographic security implementation and violates fundamental principles of secure communication protocols.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing certificate verification mechanism within the application's SSL implementation, which falls under CWE-295 - Improper Certificate Validation. When the application establishes secure connections to its backend servers, it fails to perform proper certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or trust anchor validation that are essential components of secure SSL/TLS communication. This omission allows attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application, enabling them to intercept and potentially modify all data transmitted between the mobile device and the server. The vulnerability specifically affects the application's ability to detect and prevent man-in-the-middle attacks, which is a core requirement for maintaining data confidentiality and integrity in mobile applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it creates multiple attack vectors that can result in comprehensive data breaches and user privacy violations. Attackers can leverage this weakness to obtain sensitive user information including personal data, communication content, and potentially financial information that users may transmit through the application. The vulnerability affects the application's security posture by eliminating the cryptographic protection that users expect when communicating with secure servers, effectively nullifying the SSL/TLS security model that is fundamental to mobile application security. This weakness also impacts the application's compliance with industry security standards and can result in regulatory violations for organizations that fail to maintain proper certificate validation mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation procedures within the application's SSL/TLS stack. Organizations should implement certificate pinning mechanisms to ensure that the application only accepts specific certificates or certificate authorities, thereby preventing attackers from using fraudulent certificates. The recommended approach involves configuring the application to perform complete certificate chain validation, hostname verification, and trust anchor validation before establishing secure connections. Security measures should also include implementing certificate transparency checks and regular security audits to identify similar vulnerabilities in other cryptographic implementations. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041 - Exfiltration Over C2 Channel, as it enables attackers to establish covert communication channels for data theft, and T1566 - Phishing, as the compromised application can be used to facilitate more sophisticated social engineering attacks through the stolen credentials and data.