CVE-2014-6846 in Four Seasons Beverly Hills
Summary
by MITRE
The Four Seasons Beverly Hills (aka com.intelitycorp.FourSeasons.android.ice) application @7F050007 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 vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6846 affects the Four Seasons Beverly Hills Android application, specifically manifesting in the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS communications. This critical security flaw resides within the mobile application's cryptographic implementation and represents a fundamental breakdown in the security architecture designed to protect data integrity and confidentiality. The application's inability to verify server certificates creates a dangerous attack surface that directly undermines the entire SSL/TLS protocol mechanism, which is intended to establish trust between client and server through certificate validation. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-295 category, specifically addressing the weakness of "Improper Certificate Validation" where applications fail to properly verify the authenticity and trustworthiness of certificates presented by remote servers. The attack vector involves man-in-the-middle scenarios where adversaries can craft malicious certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, thereby bypassing the security controls that should prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.
The technical implementation flaw within the Android application demonstrates a critical failure in certificate chain validation and trust verification processes. When the application establishes SSL connections to remote servers, it does not perform the necessary checks to ensure that certificates are properly signed by trusted Certificate Authorities, have valid expiration dates, and match the expected server names. This absence of certificate verification creates a scenario where an attacker can intercept communications and present a forged certificate that the application accepts as legitimate. The vulnerability essentially eliminates the cryptographic security assurances that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide, allowing attackers to decrypt and potentially modify sensitive data transmitted between the mobile application and backend servers. The impact extends beyond simple data interception to include potential credential theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized access to proprietary information that the application may handle.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, affecting both the confidentiality and integrity of data processed by the Four Seasons Beverly Hills application. Mobile users who interact with the application may unknowingly transmit sensitive personal information, payment details, or proprietary business data through insecure channels that can be easily compromised by attackers. The vulnerability affects not only individual user privacy but also the organization's security posture and compliance with industry standards such as pci dss, hipaa, and gdpr requirements for data protection. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability could gain access to user account credentials, reservation information, financial data, and other sensitive business information that would otherwise be protected by secure communication channels. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that mobile applications often handle highly sensitive personal data and financial transactions, making this vulnerability a prime target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit mobile application security weaknesses.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar issues in future implementations. The primary solution involves implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application, ensuring that all SSL/TLS connections verify certificate chains against trusted root certificates and perform hostname validation checks. This includes updating the application to use secure certificate pinning techniques where appropriate and implementing proper error handling for certificate validation failures. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring and intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process should follow established security frameworks such as those outlined in the mitre ATT&CK framework, particularly focusing on the credential access and defense evasion techniques that could be leveraged through this vulnerability. Additionally, comprehensive security testing including penetration testing and secure code reviews should be conducted to identify and address similar certificate validation issues throughout the application's codebase, ensuring compliance with industry standards and reducing the risk of future security incidents.