CVE-2014-6785 in Renny McLean Ministries
Summary
by MITRE
The Renny McLean Ministries (aka com.subsplash.thechurchapp.s_GJQX72) application 2.8.1 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-2014-6785 resides within the Renny McLean Ministries Android application version 2.8.1, representing a critical security flaw in the application's handling of secure communications. This issue manifests as a failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant exposure that undermines the fundamental security assurances typically provided by encrypted communications. The application's insecure certificate verification mechanism allows malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between client and server, effectively bypassing the cryptographic protections that should prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data.
This vulnerability directly corresponds to CWE-295, which specifically addresses the improper verification of certificates, and operates under the broader category of weak cryptographic practices that have been consistently identified as critical threats in mobile application security. The flaw enables man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that the application accepts without proper validation, essentially breaking the chain of trust that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to establish. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no privileged access or complex exploitation techniques, making it accessible to adversaries with basic network interception capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception to encompass potential complete system compromise and data theft. Mobile applications that rely on secure communication channels for user authentication, personal information exchange, or financial transactions become particularly vulnerable when they fail to properly validate server certificates. Attackers can exploit this weakness to intercept and manipulate sensitive user data, including personal identifiers, login credentials, and confidential communications between the mobile application and backend services. The implications are especially severe for applications handling religious or personal information, where privacy and data integrity are paramount considerations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the immediate security gap and establish robust certificate validation practices. The primary remediation involves implementing proper certificate pinning mechanisms that validate server certificates against known good certificates or public key fingerprints, rather than relying solely on the default certificate chain validation. Organizations should also consider implementing certificate transparency checks and establishing automated monitoring for certificate changes that could indicate potential compromise. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1041, which covers data from network shared drives, and T1566, which addresses malicious file execution through social engineering, as attackers could leverage this weakness to establish persistent access to user data. The remediation process requires comprehensive code review of all SSL/TLS implementation points within the application, ensuring that certificate validation follows industry best practices and that appropriate fallback mechanisms are implemented to maintain application functionality while enhancing security.