CVE-2014-6935 in ColorMania - Color Quiz Game
Summary
by MITRE
The ColorMania - Color Quiz Game (aka com.ColormaniaColoringGames) application 1.4 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-2014-6935 affects the ColorMania - Color Quiz Game application version 1.4 for Android platforms, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's handling 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 adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The flaw represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture, specifically within its cryptographic verification mechanisms that are essential for establishing trust in network communications.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's implementation of SSL/TLS certificate validation, which operates under the principle that secure communications require proper certificate verification to prevent unauthorized parties from impersonating legitimate services. When an Android application establishes secure connections to remote servers, it must validate the server's X.509 certificate against trusted certificate authorities to ensure the authenticity of the communication endpoint. The ColorMania application fails to perform this critical validation step, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness directly corresponds to CWE-295, which addresses the improper validation of certificate chains, and aligns with the broader category of insecure communication practices that undermine the foundation of secure network interactions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, creating multiple attack vectors that can be leveraged by man-in-the-middle attackers to compromise user information and system security. Attackers can exploit this flaw to establish fraudulent SSL connections with the application, potentially intercepting sensitive user data including personal information, login credentials, or any other data transmitted through the insecure connection. The vulnerability particularly affects users who interact with the application's network services, as all communications between the mobile device and remote servers become susceptible to eavesdropping and manipulation. This weakness enables attackers to perform session hijacking, data tampering, and information disclosure attacks that can result in significant privacy violations and potential financial loss for users.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1046 Network Service Scanning and T1566 Phishing, as attackers can exploit the insecure connections to establish persistent access points or to deliver malicious payloads through compromised communication channels. The lack of certificate verification creates an environment where attackers can seamlessly impersonate legitimate services without detection, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous in contexts where user trust and data protection are paramount. Organizations and developers should recognize that this flaw represents a complete failure of the application's security controls, as proper SSL certificate validation is a fundamental requirement for secure mobile application development practices.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability involve implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's network communication layer. Developers should ensure that all SSL/TLS connections perform rigorous certificate chain validation, including checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate authorities, and implementing certificate pinning where appropriate. The application should be updated to include proper certificate verification routines that align with industry best practices for secure mobile application development. Additionally, security reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other network communication components, ensuring that the application follows secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Mobile Top 10 and other security standards. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures to address any security breaches that may occur due to this vulnerability.