CVE-2014-6725 in SchoolXM
Summary
by MITRE
The SchoolXM (aka apprentice.schoolxm) application 1.2 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 • 09/14/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6725 affects the SchoolXM application version 1.2 for Android platforms, representing a critical security flaw in the application's handling of secure communications. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack vector that undermines the fundamental security assurances provided by secure communication protocols. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's certificate verification mechanism, which is essential for establishing trust between the mobile client and remote servers.
This technical flaw constitutes a failure in the application's cryptographic implementation and certificate validation process, aligning with CWE-295 which addresses improper certificate validation. The absence of proper certificate verification allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged SSL certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The attack scenario involves an adversary intercepting communications between the SchoolXM application and its backend servers, then presenting a maliciously crafted certificate that the application accepts without proper validation. This weakness directly violates the principles of secure communication established by industry standards and best practices for mobile application security.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to obtain sensitive information transmitted through the application. Given that SchoolXM is an educational platform likely handling student data, academic records, and potentially personal information, the compromise of communication channels poses serious risks to privacy and data integrity. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to eavesdrop on all communications, inject malicious content, or manipulate data exchanges between users and the application servers. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality and integrity of data in transit, undermining the security posture of the entire educational platform.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The fix involves implementing robust X.509 certificate verification that checks certificate chains, validates trust anchors, and ensures certificate expiration dates are properly enforced. Organizations should enforce certificate pinning where appropriate to prevent the acceptance of fraudulent certificates even if they are technically valid. The solution must align with industry best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and NIST guidelines for secure mobile application development. Additionally, regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the application ecosystem and ensure compliance with established security frameworks including those referenced in the ATT&CK framework for mobile threat modeling.