CVE-2014-6729 in Grilling with Rich
Summary
by MITRE
The Grilling with Rich (aka com.grilling.with.rich) application 1.0 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.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/14/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6729 represents a critical security flaw in the Grilling with Rich Android application version 1.0 that compromises the integrity of secure communications between the mobile client and remote servers. This issue falls under the category of improper certificate validation, where the application fails to properly authenticate the digital certificates presented by SSL servers during the connection establishment process. The absence of X.509 certificate verification creates a significant attack surface that enables malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks without detection, undermining the fundamental security assurances that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide.
The technical implementation flaw stems from the application's failure to validate certificate chains, trust anchors, and cryptographic signatures that are essential components of X.509 certificates. When an Android application establishes an SSL connection, it should verify that the server's certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority, that the certificate has not expired, and that the certificate's subject matches the server's hostname. The Grilling with Rich application bypasses these critical validation steps, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses the improper certificate validation issue, and represents a direct violation of secure coding practices that are fundamental to mobile application security.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive user information that may be transmitted through the vulnerable application. Mobile applications that handle personal data, financial information, or private communications are particularly at risk when they fail to implement proper SSL certificate validation. Attackers can exploit this weakness to decrypt communications, modify data in transit, or redirect users to malicious servers while maintaining the appearance of legitimate connections. The vulnerability particularly affects users who rely on the application for sensitive activities, as the attacker can obtain login credentials, personal messages, financial data, or any other information transmitted through the insecure connection. This risk is amplified in environments where users may be connected to untrusted networks such as public Wi-Fi hotspots, where such attacks are more commonly executed.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability effectively. The primary remediation involves updating the application code to properly implement certificate validation using Android's built-in certificate pinning mechanisms or third-party libraries that enforce strict certificate verification. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect unusual certificate behavior and establish automated vulnerability scanning processes to identify similar issues in other applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques related to credential access and defense evasion, as attackers can leverage the insecure connection to harvest credentials or maintain persistence. The remediation process should include comprehensive code review to ensure all network communications properly validate certificates, implementation of certificate pinning where appropriate, and regular security assessments to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future releases. Additionally, developers should follow secure coding guidelines such as those outlined in OWASP Mobile Top 10 and ensure proper implementation of SSL/TLS security controls that align with industry standards for mobile application security.