CVE-2014-6843 in Sweatshop
Summary
by MITRE
The Sweatshop (aka com.orderingapps.sweatshop) application 2.96 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 • 09/19/2024
The CVE-2014-6843 vulnerability resides within the Sweatshop Android application version 2.96, representing a critical security flaw in certificate validation mechanisms. This application, designed for ordering purposes, fails to properly implement X.509 certificate verification during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack vector for malicious actors. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish secure communication channels with backend servers, fundamentally compromising the integrity of data transmission between client and server components.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate chain validation and trust verification processes within the application's SSL implementation. When the Sweatshop application establishes connections to secure servers, it does not perform the necessary checks to ensure that certificates are issued by trusted Certificate Authorities, have not expired, and properly match the target server's hostname. This omission allows attackers to present fraudulent certificates that the application will accept without question, effectively disabling the security protections that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data interception, creating multiple attack surfaces for sophisticated adversaries. Man-in-the-middle attackers can exploit this weakness to establish fraudulent connections with the application, potentially gaining access to user credentials, personal information, and transaction data. The vulnerability enables attackers to impersonate legitimate servers and redirect users to malicious endpoints, making it particularly dangerous for applications handling sensitive user data. This flaw directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1573.002 for "Encrypted Channel" and T1046 for "Network Service Scanning" when used in conjunction with other reconnaissance activities.
Organizations and users affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations focusing on certificate validation enforcement and network monitoring. The primary remediation involves updating the application to version 2.97 or later, which includes proper SSL certificate verification mechanisms. Additionally, network administrators should deploy certificate pinning strategies and implement additional monitoring to detect unusual SSL connection patterns. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper SSL/TLS implementation in mobile applications and highlights the necessity of following security best practices outlined in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and OWASP Mobile Top 10 for secure mobile application development. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar certificate validation weaknesses in other mobile applications and ensure comprehensive protection against man-in-the-middle attacks.