CVE-2014-6699 in Weather Channel
Summary
by MITRE
The Weather Channel (aka com.weather.Weather) application 5.2.0 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-2014-6699 represents a critical security flaw in the Weather Channel Android application version 5.2.0 that fundamentally compromises the integrity of secure communications between the mobile client and remote servers. This issue manifests as a failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS handshakes, creating an exploitable condition that undermines the entire cryptographic security framework designed to protect data transmission. The absence of certificate verification means that the application accepts any certificate presented by a server without proper authentication, effectively disabling one of the most fundamental security mechanisms in modern network communications.
The technical implementation flaw stems from the application's improper handling of SSL certificate validation routines within its network security layer. When establishing secure connections to weather data servers, the application fails to perform certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or signature validation checks that are standard requirements for secure SSL/TLS implementations. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" in security protocols, and represents a classic example of insecure cryptographic implementation where the software fails to enforce mandatory security checks. The flaw creates a man-in-the-middle attack vector that allows adversaries positioned between the mobile device and legitimate servers to intercept, modify, or redirect network traffic without detection.
Operationally, this vulnerability exposes users to significant risks including data interception, credential theft, and potential system compromise through the injection of malicious content. Attackers can create fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, enabling them to masquerade as trusted weather services and capture sensitive information such as location data, user preferences, and potentially personal identifiers. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as the compromised application could serve as a foothold for more sophisticated attacks, particularly if users trust the application with additional sensitive data or if the vulnerability exists in a broader ecosystem of connected services. This weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel," and demonstrates how insecure communication protocols can enable data exfiltration through seemingly benign applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's SSL/TLS handling code. Developers must ensure that all X.509 certificates undergo comprehensive validation including certificate chain building, hostname matching, and signature verification against trusted certificate authorities. The application should implement proper certificate pinning where appropriate and maintain up-to-date certificate trust stores to prevent acceptance of revoked or fraudulent certificates. Security patches should enforce strict certificate validation policies and include logging mechanisms to detect potential certificate validation failures. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect unusual certificate behavior and establish secure communication protocols that align with industry standards such as those defined in the NIST SP 800-52 revision 2 for certificate management and the ISO/IEC 27001 security framework for cryptographic controls.