CVE-2014-6864 in Forest River Forums
Summary
by MITRE
The Forest River Forums (aka com.socialknowledge.forestriverforums) application 3.7.5 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-2014-6864 affects the Forest River Forums Android application version 3.7.5, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communications. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that compromises the integrity of data transmission between the mobile client and remote servers. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification process that should establish trust between the Android application and SSL servers, allowing malicious actors to exploit this weakness in the security architecture.
The technical implementation flaw manifests as a missing or bypassed certificate validation mechanism within the application's SSL handshake process. When the application establishes a connection to a remote server, it should verify the server's X.509 certificate against a trusted certificate authority to ensure the authenticity of the endpoint. However, in this case, the application fails to perform this crucial verification step, leaving the communication channel vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. This weakness directly corresponds to CWE-295, which describes improper certificate validation in secure communications, and represents a fundamental failure in the application's security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables sophisticated attackers to establish fraudulent server identities and gain access to sensitive user information. An attacker positioned between the Android device and the legitimate server can present a malicious certificate that appears valid to the application, allowing them to decrypt and potentially modify communications. This compromise affects all data transmitted through the application, including user credentials, personal information, and any other sensitive data that users might share through the forum platform. The vulnerability essentially undermines the entire purpose of SSL/TLS encryption, rendering it ineffective against determined adversaries.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a prime example of the importance of proper certificate pinning and validation in mobile applications, particularly those handling sensitive user data. The flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1573.002, which involves establishing secure communications channels through manipulation of certificate trust mechanisms. Organizations using this application should implement immediate mitigations including certificate pinning, regular security audits of mobile applications, and mandatory updates to address the vulnerability. The issue also highlights the broader problem of inadequate security implementation in mobile applications, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing and adherence to established security frameworks such as the OWASP Mobile Security Project guidelines for secure mobile application development practices.