CVE-2014-6970 in North American Ismaili Games
Summary
by MITRE
The North American Ismaili Games (aka hr.apps.n166983741) application 5.26.2 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.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6970 affects the North American Ismaili Games Android application version 5.26.2, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's SSL certificate validation mechanism. This weakness stems from the application's failure to properly verify X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications. The absence of certificate verification creates a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks against users of the application. The vulnerability specifically targets the cryptographic handshake process that should establish trust between the mobile client and remote servers, fundamentally undermining the security of all data transmitted through the application's network communications.
This technical flaw represents a classic implementation error in secure communication protocols, where the application fails to perform proper certificate chain validation and trust verification. The vulnerability directly relates to CWE-295, which addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046, which covers "Network Service Scanning' as attackers can leverage this weakness to intercept and manipulate communications. The application's lack of certificate pinning or proper validation means that any attacker capable of presenting a valid-looking certificate to the application can establish a false secure connection, allowing them to decrypt and potentially modify all communications between the user and the legitimate server. This creates a scenario where sensitive user information, including personal data, authentication credentials, and potentially financial information, could be exposed to unauthorized parties.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity and confidentiality guarantees that users expect from secure mobile applications. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform session hijacking, inject malicious content, or redirect users to fraudulent services without detection. The vulnerability affects all users of the specific application version and persists regardless of the user's device security configuration, as the flaw exists within the application's core security implementation rather than the underlying operating system. Organizations relying on this application for sensitive operations or those handling personally identifiable information face significant risk exposure, particularly in environments where network traffic interception is possible.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate remediation efforts including updating the application to a version that properly implements certificate validation, implementing certificate pinning mechanisms, and establishing proper certificate trust verification processes. Security teams should also consider network-level protections such as deep packet inspection and anomaly detection systems to identify potential man-in-the-middle attacks. The application should be updated to implement proper certificate chain validation using trusted certificate authorities, and developers should incorporate industry-standard security libraries that handle SSL certificate verification appropriately. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of connecting to untrusted networks and the importance of verifying server certificates when possible. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions that can detect unusual network behavior patterns that might indicate successful exploitation of this vulnerability, as the attack can occur silently without user awareness.