CVE-2014-6973 in Care4Kids
Summary
by MITRE
The Care4Kids (aka com.codetherapy.care4kids) application 1.03 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 Care4Kids Android application version 1.03 contains a critical security vulnerability that fundamentally undermines the integrity of its secure communications. This flaw represents a complete failure in the application's certificate validation mechanism, creating an exploitable weakness that directly violates established cryptographic security practices. The vulnerability specifically affects the application's implementation of SSL/TLS certificate verification, which is a cornerstone of secure network communications.
The technical flaw manifests as an absence of X.509 certificate verification within the application's secure socket layer implementation. This means that when the application establishes connections to remote servers, it fails to validate the digital certificates presented by those servers against trusted certificate authorities. The vulnerability can be categorized under CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and represents a direct violation of the SSL/TLS protocol's fundamental security requirements. Attackers can exploit this weakness by presenting crafted certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application, thereby bypassing the security mechanisms designed to prevent unauthorized access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it enables sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks that can compromise sensitive user data. An attacker positioned between the vulnerable application and its intended server can intercept and manipulate communications, potentially gaining access to personal information, medical records, or other confidential data that users expect to be protected. This vulnerability particularly affects applications handling sensitive health information, as indicated by the Care4Kids name, where the compromise could lead to serious privacy violations and potential identity theft. The attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which describes data compression and encryption for exfiltration, as compromised communications can be exploited for data exfiltration.
The security implications extend beyond immediate data theft to encompass potential system compromise and long-term privacy violations. Given that the application targets healthcare information, the vulnerability creates opportunities for attackers to obtain sensitive patient data, which could be used for financial fraud, insurance scams, or other malicious activities. The flaw demonstrates a critical failure in secure coding practices and highlights the importance of implementing proper certificate pinning mechanisms. Organizations should consider implementing certificate pinning strategies and regularly updating their security protocols to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future releases. The vulnerability also underscores the necessity of comprehensive security testing during the development lifecycle, particularly for applications handling sensitive information, as it represents a preventable flaw that could have been detected through proper security review processes and automated testing procedures.