CVE-2014-6861 in Terrarienbilder
Summary
by MITRE
The Terrarienbilder.com Forum (aka com.tapatalk.terrarienbildercomvb) application 3.8.20 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-2014-6861 affects the Terrarienbilder.com Forum Android application version 3.8.20, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification process, which is fundamental to establishing trust in secure communications between mobile applications and remote servers.
The technical flaw manifests as a lack of proper certificate chain validation and trust verification mechanisms within the application's SSL implementation. When the application establishes connections to remote servers, it fails to validate the server certificates against trusted certificate authorities or perform the necessary cryptographic checks that ensure certificate authenticity. This weakness allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The flaw falls under the category of improper certificate validation as classified by CWE-295, which specifically addresses issues related to certificate validation and trust management in cryptographic implementations. The absence of certificate pinning or proper certificate verification creates an environment where attackers can intercept and manipulate communications without detection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, affecting both user privacy and data integrity across the application ecosystem. Mobile users engaging with the Terrarienbilder.com Forum are exposed to potential data theft, session hijacking, and credential compromise attacks. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to intercept sensitive user information including login credentials, personal messages, and private forum communications. The implications extend beyond individual user privacy to potential system compromise, as the vulnerability enables attackers to establish persistent access points within the application's communication framework. This flaw directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 which involves the use of man-in-the-middle attacks to intercept and manipulate network communications, and T1566 which covers credential harvesting through various attack vectors including network-based techniques.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements in the application's cryptographic implementation. The primary recommendation involves implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms that verify certificate chains against trusted authorities and perform cryptographic validation checks. Organizations should implement certificate pinning to prevent the acceptance of unauthorized certificates, ensuring that only pre-approved certificates are accepted for communication. The application should also incorporate proper SSL/TLS configuration practices that enforce strong cryptographic protocols and reject weak or deprecated cipher suites. Security best practices dictate that certificate validation should include checks for certificate expiration dates, proper certificate chain construction, and verification against established trust stores. Additionally, regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in the application's security architecture, ensuring compliance with industry standards such as those defined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and NIST guidelines for mobile application security.