CVE-2014-6862 in ArtAcces
Summary
by MITRE
The ArtAcces (aka cat.gencat.mobi.artacces) application 1.0 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-2014-6862 affects the ArtAcces Android application version 1.0, specifically targeting its implementation of secure communication protocols. This flaw represents a critical security weakness in the application's approach to establishing trust with remote servers through SSL/TLS connections. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates, which are fundamental components of the public key infrastructure that ensures secure communication between client and server. This oversight creates a significant attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to compromise the integrity of data transmission.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's inability to perform proper certificate verification during SSL handshakes. When an Android application establishes a secure connection to a server, it should validate the server's X.509 certificate against a trusted certificate authority to confirm the server's identity. The ArtAcces application bypasses this crucial verification step, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness directly violates security best practices outlined in industry standards and represents a clear violation of the principle of certificate pinning, which is essential for preventing man-in-the-middle attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" and falls under the broader category of weak cryptographic implementations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, creating multiple attack vectors for malicious actors seeking to compromise user data. Attackers can exploit this weakness to conduct successful man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting crafted certificates that the application accepts without proper verification. This allows them to intercept, modify, or steal sensitive information transmitted between the user's device and the application's servers. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects applications that handle sensitive user data, potentially exposing personal information, credentials, or other confidential data. The attack scenario enables passive monitoring of communications and active data manipulation, making it a significant threat to user privacy and data integrity. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1573.002, which covers "Encrypted Channel: Symmetric Cryptography" and highlights the importance of proper certificate validation in maintaining secure communication channels.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. The most effective approach involves implementing certificate pinning, where the application explicitly trusts specific certificates or certificate authorities rather than relying on the operating system's default trust store. This technique ensures that the application only accepts certificates from predetermined trusted sources, significantly reducing the risk of accepting fraudulent certificates. Additionally, developers should implement proper certificate chain validation, including checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate signatures, and ensuring certificates are issued by trusted authorities. The application should also incorporate robust error handling for certificate validation failures, preventing the application from proceeding with unverified connections. Security updates should be implemented to enforce certificate verification, and the application should be designed to fail securely when certificate validation fails, preventing any data transmission over insecure channels. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect unusual certificate behavior and establish incident response procedures for handling potential exploitation attempts.