CVE-2014-6876 in Serve
Summary
by MITRE
The American Express Serve (aka com.serve.mobile) application @7F0901E4 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 identified as CVE-2014-6876 represents a critical security flaw in the American Express Serve mobile application for android platforms. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS communications, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit. The vulnerability specifically affects the com.serve.mobile application package and operates at the SSL/TLS certificate verification layer, where the application fails to implement proper certificate chain validation mechanisms. This flaw directly violates fundamental security principles that govern secure communications in mobile applications and represents a classic example of insufficient certificate validation that has been documented in various security frameworks and standards.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting crafted certificates that the application will accept without proper verification. The application's SSL/TLS implementation lacks the necessary certificate pinning or validation logic that would normally check certificate authorities, expiration dates, and certificate chains against trusted sources. This weakness enables attackers to intercept communications between the mobile application and backend servers, potentially gaining access to sensitive financial data including transaction details, user credentials, and personal information. The vulnerability operates at the transport layer security validation, where the application should be enforcing certificate trust relationships but instead accepts potentially malicious certificates that appear legitimate to the application's verification process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the mobile payment application. Attackers can exploit this weakness to redirect users to malicious servers while maintaining the appearance of legitimate communication, enabling them to capture sensitive transaction data, user authentication credentials, and financial information. This vulnerability particularly affects the confidentiality and integrity aspects of the CIA triad, as it allows unauthorized parties to view and potentially modify communications between the mobile application and service providers. The attack vector is particularly dangerous in mobile environments where users may be conducting financial transactions over public networks, making the vulnerability especially critical for payment applications that handle sensitive financial data.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies that address both the immediate vulnerability and broader security posture issues. The primary mitigation involves implementing proper certificate pinning mechanisms within the application to ensure that only certificates from trusted authorities are accepted. This approach aligns with the principles outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and follows industry best practices for secure mobile application development. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing certificate transparency checks and regular security audits of their mobile applications to detect similar validation flaws. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following the principle of least privilege in SSL/TLS implementation and adheres to CWE-295 which specifically addresses improper certificate validation. Security teams should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous certificate behavior and establish incident response procedures for handling such vulnerabilities in mobile applications that process sensitive financial information.