CVE-2014-6949 in Akne Ernahrung
Summary
by MITRE
The Akne Ernahrung (aka com.rareartifact.akneernahrung72010074) 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 vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6949 resides within the Akne Ernahrung Android application version 1.0, specifically targeting the application's cryptographic security implementation. This weakness represents a critical failure in the application's secure communication protocol, where the software fails to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections. The absence of certificate verification creates a significant security gap that exposes users to sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks. The vulnerability manifests when the application establishes secure connections with remote servers, as it accepts any certificate presented without performing the necessary validation checks that are fundamental to establishing trust in cryptographic communications.
The technical flaw stems from improper implementation of SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms within the Android application's networking code. When an application connects to a secure server, it should verify that the server's certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority, that the certificate has not expired, and that the certificate's subject matches the server's hostname. However, the Akne Ernahrung application bypasses these essential verification steps entirely, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This flaw directly violates industry standards and best practices for secure communication implementation, as outlined in the OWASP Mobile Top 10 and NIST SP 800-52 guidelines for cryptographic key management and secure communication protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, creating opportunities for comprehensive attack scenarios that can compromise user privacy and data integrity. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform session hijacking, steal authentication credentials, intercept sensitive user information, and potentially manipulate application data flows. The vulnerability affects all users of the application who engage in secure communications, making it particularly dangerous as it operates transparently without user awareness. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential harvesting through man-in-the-middle attacks and represents a classic example of insufficient certificate validation as classified under CWE-295. The attack vector is particularly concerning given that Android applications often handle sensitive personal and financial data, making this vulnerability a prime target for cybercriminals.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's secure communication layer. Developers must ensure that all SSL/TLS connections perform thorough certificate verification including chain of trust validation, certificate expiration checks, and hostname verification against the target server. The application should implement certificate pinning where appropriate to further strengthen the security posture against certificate forgery attempts. Security patches should enforce proper SSL/TLS implementation using established libraries and frameworks that handle certificate validation correctly. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous certificate behavior and establish proper security testing procedures including penetration testing and code reviews focused on cryptographic implementation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices as specified in ISO/IEC 27031 and should serve as a reminder of the essential nature of certificate validation in preventing man-in-the-middle attacks.