CVE-2014-6780 in MeiTalk
Summary
by MITRE
The MeiTalk (aka com.playjia.meitalk) application @7F060012 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-2014-6780 affects the MeiTalk application for Android systems, specifically targeting the application's handling of SSL/TLS certificate verification processes. This flaw represents a critical security weakness in the application's cryptographic implementation that directly undermines the integrity of secure communications between the mobile client and remote servers. The vulnerability resides in the application's inability to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system security.
The technical implementation flaw stems from the application's failure to perform proper certificate chain validation and hostname verification during SSL handshakes. When an Android application establishes a secure connection to a server, it should validate that the presented certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority and that the certificate's subject matches the server's domain name. The MeiTalk application bypasses these critical validation steps, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness specifically aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, and represents a fundamental failure in the application's secure communication implementation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, creating numerous attack vectors for man-in-the-middle adversaries. Attackers can exploit this flaw to intercept and manipulate sensitive data transmitted between the application and servers, potentially gaining access to user credentials, personal information, financial data, and other confidential communications. The vulnerability enables attackers to establish fake secure connections that appear legitimate to users, making detection extremely difficult. This type of attack falls under the ATT&CK framework's T1041 technique for Exfiltration Over C2 Channel, and represents a classic case of credential theft and data interception that can lead to identity theft, financial fraud, and privacy violations.
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 the application performs comprehensive certificate chain validation, including checking certificate expiration dates, verifying the certificate's issuing CA against trusted certificate authorities, and implementing proper hostname verification. The recommended approach involves implementing certificate pinning for critical connections, where the application maintains a whitelist of trusted certificates or public keys and only accepts connections that match these predetermined values. Additionally, the application should be updated to use the Android system's built-in certificate validation mechanisms rather than implementing custom SSL handling that bypasses security checks. Security audits should be conducted to ensure that all network communications within the application properly validate SSL certificates, and developers should follow secure coding practices outlined in OWASP Mobile Security Project guidelines for mobile application security. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect anomalous certificate usage patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.