CVE-2014-6776 in United Advantage NW Federal Cr
Summary
by MITRE
The United Advantage NW Federal Cr (aka com.myappengine.uanwfcu) application 1.7 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 • 09/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6776 affects the United Advantage NW Federal Cr mobile application version 1.7 for Android devices, representing a critical security flaw in the application's cryptographic implementation. This weakness stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that compromises the integrity of secure communications between the mobile client and backend servers. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's certificate verification mechanism, which is fundamental to establishing trust in secure network communications and preventing unauthorized access to sensitive financial data.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing certificate validation process within the application's SSL implementation, which directly maps to CWE-295 - Improper Certificate Validation. This weakness allows attackers to exploit the absence of proper certificate chain validation, hostname verification, and trust anchor checking that should occur during secure socket connections. When the application fails to verify certificate signatures, expiration dates, and the certificate authority hierarchy, it creates an environment where malicious actors can present fraudulent certificates that the application will accept as legitimate. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the transport layer security validation point, where the application should be enforcing strict certificate checking protocols to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables sophisticated attack vectors that can compromise the entire security posture of the mobile banking application. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting crafted certificates that appear to be from legitimate financial institutions, allowing them to capture sensitive user credentials, account information, and transaction data. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041 - Exfiltration Over C2 Channel and T1566 - Phishing, as it enables attackers to establish trusted communication channels with victims while remaining undetected. The compromised application can facilitate unauthorized financial transactions, identity theft, and data breaches that could affect thousands of users who trust the application for their banking needs.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to ensure proper certificate validation. The primary fix involves implementing robust certificate verification procedures that include checking certificate signatures, validating certificate expiration dates, verifying the certificate authority chain, and performing hostname validation against the presented certificate. Organizations should also implement certificate pinning mechanisms to prevent the acceptance of fraudulent certificates even if they are technically valid. Additionally, regular security testing including SSL certificate validation checks and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that the application maintains proper cryptographic security measures. The remediation efforts should align with industry standards such as NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and OWASP Mobile Top 10 for mobile application security best practices, ensuring that the application follows proper secure coding practices for mobile financial applications.