CVE-2014-6870 in BGEnergy
Summary
by MITRE
The BGEnergy (aka com.bluegrass.smartapps) application 1.153.0034 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 • 09/20/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-6870 represents a critical security flaw in the BGEnergy mobile application version 1.153.0034 for android platforms. This issue stems from improper implementation of SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms within the application's network communication stack. The flaw specifically affects the application's ability to authenticate secure connections to remote servers, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity.
The technical implementation error manifests as the absence of X.509 certificate verification during SSL/TLS handshakes. This means that the application accepts any certificate presented by a server without validating its authenticity through trusted certificate authorities or checking the certificate's validity period, subject names, or digital signatures. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295 which describes improper certificate validation in security protocols. This weakness allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting maliciously crafted certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, effectively bypassing the security mechanisms designed to protect sensitive communications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception. Attackers can exploit this flaw to gain access to sensitive user information, including personal data, authentication credentials, and potentially financial information transmitted through the application's secure channels. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality and integrity of communications between the mobile device and backend servers, potentially enabling credential theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized data access. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture and violates core principles of secure communication as outlined in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and secure communications protocols.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms. The application must be updated to enforce certificate chain validation, including verification against trusted root certificates, checking certificate expiration dates, and validating subject alternative names. Security patches should implement certificate pinning where appropriate to prevent acceptance of unauthorized certificates. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks and establish proper certificate management procedures. This vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as recommended by the OWASP Mobile Security Project and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1573.002 for "Tunneling through Secure Shell" and T1046 for "Network Service Scanning" which attackers may leverage to exploit such insecure communications. The remediation process should include comprehensive security testing of all network communication components and validation of certificate validation logic to prevent similar issues in future releases.