CVE-2014-6881 in Virtual Wallet By Pnc
Summary
by MITRE
The PNC Virtual Wallet (aka com.pnc.ecommerce.mobile.vw.android) application before 2.2 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-2014-6881 affects the PNC Virtual Wallet mobile application for Android devices, specifically versions prior to 2.2. This represents a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols that directly impacts the confidentiality and integrity of user data. The issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during network communications, creating a significant attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to compromise user sessions and sensitive financial information.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's SSL certificate validation process where it fails to perform proper X.509 certificate verification. This weakness allows attackers to execute man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The absence of certificate pinning or proper certificate chain validation means that the application accepts any certificate presented by a server, regardless of its authenticity or trustworthiness. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295 which addresses improper certificate validation and falls under the broader category of weak cryptography implementation issues.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for users of the PNC Virtual Wallet application, as it exposes their financial transactions and personal information to interception and manipulation. Attackers can leverage this flaw to decrypt and modify communications between the mobile application and PNC's servers, potentially gaining access to account credentials, transaction details, and other sensitive user data. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects a mobile banking application where users expect robust security measures to protect their financial information, making it a prime target for financial fraud and identity theft operations.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1041, which involves data from network connections, and T1566, which covers phishing attacks that could be facilitated by the compromised communication channel. The attack vector typically involves intercepting network traffic and presenting a malicious certificate that the application accepts without proper validation, allowing the attacker to eavesdrop on communications and potentially inject malicious content. Organizations should implement certificate pinning mechanisms, ensure proper SSL/TLS certificate validation, and regularly update their applications to prevent such vulnerabilities from being exploited in the field.
The remediation for this vulnerability requires immediate implementation of proper SSL certificate validation mechanisms within the application. This includes implementing certificate pinning, ensuring that the application validates certificate chains against trusted Certificate Authorities, and verifying certificate expiration dates and subject names. Additionally, the application should implement proper error handling for certificate validation failures and ensure that all network communications use secure protocols with appropriate encryption levels. The fix should also include comprehensive testing to ensure that the certificate validation process works correctly across different network conditions and device configurations, preventing the recurrence of similar issues in future releases.