CVE-2014-6800 in Bloom Township 206
Summary
by MITRE
The Bloom Township 206 (aka net.parentlink.bloom) application 4.0.500 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 • 09/17/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6800 affects the Bloom Township 206 Android application version 4.0.500, which is designed for parent communication and school information services. This application implements insecure SSL certificate verification mechanisms that create a significant security gap in the mobile platform's communication security. The flaw exists within the application's network security implementation where it fails to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communication sessions.
The technical flaw represents a critical failure in the application's cryptographic security controls, specifically in the certificate validation process. When the application establishes SSL connections to backend servers, it does not perform proper certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or trust anchor checking. This omission allows attackers to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The certificate validation process should normally include checking certificate expiration dates, verifying the certificate authority's signature, confirming the certificate's intended use through extended key usage fields, and ensuring the certificate's subject matches the target server's domain name.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for users of the Bloom Township 206 application, as it exposes sensitive parent and student information to unauthorized access. Attackers can intercept and modify communications between the mobile application and backend servers, potentially gaining access to personal information, communication data, and educational records. This vulnerability particularly affects the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted through the application, which may include student grades, attendance records, parent communication logs, and other sensitive educational information. The threat model aligns with attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1046 technique for network service scanning and T1566 for phishing with social engineering, as attackers can exploit this weakness to establish persistent access to the application's data streams.
The vulnerability directly corresponds to CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, and CWE-310, which covers cryptographic issues related to key management and certificate handling. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating the application to a version that properly validates SSL certificates, implementing certificate pinning mechanisms, and establishing network monitoring to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks. Security professionals should also consider deploying network segmentation, implementing additional authentication layers, and conducting regular security assessments of mobile applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other educational software platforms. The remediation process should include comprehensive code review of cryptographic implementations, adherence to industry standards such as NIST SP 800-57 for key management, and implementation of proper certificate validation procedures that align with RFC 5280 standards for X.509 certificate handling.