CVE-2014-6972 in Kazakhstan Radio
Summary
by MITRE
The Kazakhstan Radio (aka com.wordbox.kazakhstanRadio) application 2.5 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 • 09/24/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6972 affects the Kazakhstan Radio Android application version 2.5, representing a critical security flaw in the application's SSL certificate verification mechanism. This issue falls under the category of insecure cryptographic implementation and specifically relates to the absence of proper certificate validation during secure communication sessions. The application fails to perform essential X.509 certificate verification processes that are fundamental to establishing trust in secure communications, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to validate SSL certificates against trusted certificate authorities, allowing attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates. This vulnerability directly violates established security protocols and standards, as the application does not implement proper certificate pinning or validation procedures that are essential for secure network communications. The absence of certificate verification means that any attacker who can intercept network traffic can present a fake certificate and establish a trusted connection with the victim's device, effectively compromising the entire communication channel.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability exposes users to severe security risks including data interception, session hijacking, and credential theft. Attackers can exploit this weakness to eavesdrop on sensitive communications, steal personal information, and potentially gain unauthorized access to user accounts or services. The impact extends beyond individual user privacy concerns to potential corporate data breaches, especially if users access sensitive services through the vulnerable application. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates silently in the background without user awareness, making it difficult to detect and remediate.
The security implications of CVE-2014-6972 align with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through man-in-the-middle attacks. Organizations and users should immediately update to patched versions of the application when available, implement network monitoring to detect suspicious certificate behavior, and consider network segmentation to limit potential attack vectors. Additionally, security professionals should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of similar applications and implement certificate pinning mechanisms as a defense-in-depth strategy. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing during the development lifecycle to prevent such fundamental flaws from reaching production environments.