CVE-2014-6727 in Mikeius
Summary
by MITRE
The Mikeius (Official App) (aka com.automon.mikeius) application 1.4.2.0 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 • 09/14/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6727 affects the Mikeius (Official App) Android application version 1.4.2.0, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS certificate verification process. This weakness resides in the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications, creating a significant attack vector for malicious actors. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish trust with legitimate servers while simultaneously opening pathways for unauthorized entities to impersonate legitimate services.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate pinning or proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's network security implementation. When the application establishes secure connections to remote servers, it fails to perform the essential cryptographic verification steps that should confirm the authenticity of server certificates. This includes checking certificate validity periods, verifying certificate authorities, and ensuring proper certificate chains. The absence of these security controls means that any certificate presented by a malicious server, regardless of its legitimacy or validity, will be accepted as authentic by the application.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates severe implications for user data protection and privacy. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute successful man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that the application will accept without question. This allows threat actors to intercept, modify, or steal sensitive information transmitted between the user's device and legitimate servers. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to include potential account compromise, financial fraud, and unauthorized access to personal information. The vulnerability essentially undermines the fundamental security model of HTTPS communications, rendering the application's secure connection promises meaningless.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices. According to ATT&CK framework, this weakness maps to T1566.001 (Phishing via Social Engineering) and T1041 (Exfiltration Over C2 Channel) as attackers can exploit the vulnerability to establish unauthorized communication channels. The vulnerability also relates to T1592 (Gather Victim Host Information) and T1590 (Reconnaissance) as it enables attackers to gather information about the application's communication patterns and target systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must include immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers should implement certificate pinning to ensure that only specific certificates or certificate authorities are accepted for connections. The application must perform comprehensive certificate chain validation, including checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate signatures, and ensuring proper certificate authority trust. Additionally, the application should implement certificate revocation checking and maintain up-to-date certificate stores. Security updates should be deployed immediately to address the vulnerability, and users should be advised to avoid using the affected application until patches are applied. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish proper security awareness training to educate users about the risks associated with insecure applications.