CVE-2014-6924 in Metro News
Summary
by MITRE
The Metro News (aka com.netpia.ha.metro) application 1.6.5 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 • 09/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6924 resides within the Metro News Android application version 1.6.5, specifically targeting the application's cryptographic security implementation. This flaw represents a critical failure in the application's secure communication protocols, where the software neglects to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections. The absence of certificate verification creates a significant security gap that enables malicious actors to exploit the application's trust model and establish fraudulent connections with users.
The technical implementation flaw stems from the application's failure to perform proper certificate chain validation and hostname verification during secure socket connections. According to the common weakness enumeration framework, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-295 which describes "Improper Certificate Validation" in security protocols. The application essentially trusts any certificate presented by a server without performing the essential validation steps that should confirm the certificate's authenticity, issuer legitimacy, and proper hostname alignment. This weakness allows attackers to generate or obtain fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, creating a comprehensive attack surface that enables sophisticated man-in-the-middle operations. Attackers can exploit this flaw to perform session hijacking, data exfiltration, and credential theft by presenting forged certificates that the application accepts without question. The vulnerability particularly affects users who rely on the application for sensitive information access, as all communications between the mobile device and backend servers become susceptible to unauthorized inspection and manipulation. This creates a persistent threat vector that remains active as long as the vulnerable application version is installed on user devices.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with several tactics outlined in the attack technique framework, particularly those involving credential access and data interception. The flaw enables adversaries to establish persistent access points and maintain long-term surveillance capabilities over user communications. Organizations and individuals should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched application versions, implementing network-level monitoring for suspicious certificate activity, and potentially deploying additional security layers such as network segmentation or proxy-based certificate validation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper certificate validation implementation in mobile applications and serves as a reminder of the potential consequences when cryptographic security measures are inadequately implemented in client-side applications.