CVE-2014-6938 in Apostilas musicais
Summary
by MITRE
The Apostilas musicais (aka com.apostilas) application 1.0 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 • 09/23/2024
The CVE-2014-6938 vulnerability affects the Apostilas musicais Android application version 1.0, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This vulnerability resides in 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 integrity and confidentiality. The issue manifests when the application establishes network connections to remote servers, as it does not perform the necessary certificate verification steps that are fundamental to establishing trust in secure communications.
The technical flaw stems from the application's improper handling of SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms, which is a direct violation of established security protocols and standards. When the application connects to SSL servers, it accepts any certificate presented without performing the required verification steps including checking certificate authority signatures, expiration dates, and domain name matching. This behavior creates a man-in-the-middle attack vector where malicious actors can intercept communications by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, and represents a failure in the application's certificate trust model implementation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it allows attackers to obtain sensitive user information through crafted certificate manipulation. An attacker positioned within the network traffic path can present a malicious certificate that the application accepts without question, enabling them to decrypt and potentially modify communications between the user and legitimate servers. This compromises the confidentiality and integrity of all data transmitted through the vulnerable application, including personal information, authentication credentials, and potentially financial data. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects mobile applications that handle sensitive user data, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to exploit mobile device security weaknesses.
From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for credential harvesting through social engineering. Attackers can leverage this weakness to establish persistent access to user accounts and sensitive information, potentially leading to identity theft or financial fraud. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where users connect to untrusted networks, such as public wifi hotspots, as these scenarios provide ideal conditions for man-in-the-middle attacks. Organizations and users should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader security posture assessment, as it represents a fundamental failure in secure communication implementation that could enable more sophisticated attacks.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability involve implementing proper SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms within the application, including certificate pinning, certificate chain validation, and proper error handling for certificate verification failures. Developers should adopt industry best practices for secure coding, particularly those outlined in OWASP mobile security guidelines, and ensure that all network communications utilize validated certificate chains. The application should be updated to include proper certificate validation routines that check certificate authority signatures, expiration dates, and subject alternative names against the expected server identity. Additionally, implementing certificate pinning techniques can provide an additional layer of security by ensuring that only specific certificates or certificate authorities are accepted, thereby reducing the impact of compromised certificate authorities or forged certificates.