CVE-2014-6967 in Albion College
Summary
by MITRE
The Albion College (aka com.vivomobile.albioncollege) application 2.1.16 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.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6967 affects the Albion College Android application version 2.1.16, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to compromise user data integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification process, which is fundamental to establishing trust in secure communications between mobile applications and remote servers.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's absence of proper certificate pinning or validation mechanisms, allowing attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness directly violates established security principles and standards such as those outlined in CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols. The application's failure to implement certificate chain validation means that any certificate presented by a server, regardless of its authenticity or trustworthiness, will be accepted as valid. This creates an environment where attackers can intercept and manipulate communications between the mobile application and backend services.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability exposes users to significant risks including data theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. The implications extend beyond simple information disclosure, as the compromised application could facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft, financial data interception, or unauthorized access to institutional resources. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability could potentially gain access to personal user data, academic records, or other sensitive information that the application is designed to protect. The impact is particularly concerning for educational applications that may handle student information, personal communications, or institutional data.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with ATT&CK technique T1046, which covers network service scanning and exploitation of weak security implementations. Organizations using this application face increased risk of security breaches that could compromise their data integrity and user privacy. The vulnerability represents a clear failure in secure coding practices and demonstrates the importance of implementing proper SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms. Effective mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of certificate pinning, proper certificate chain validation, and regular security assessments to identify similar weaknesses in mobile applications. Additionally, developers should follow industry best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project, which emphasizes the critical importance of secure communication implementation in mobile applications to prevent such man-in-the-middle attacks.