CVE-2014-6977 in eLearn
Summary
by MITRE
The eLearn (aka com.desire2learn.campuslife.chattanoogastate.edu.directory) application 1.0.649.1194 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 described in CVE-2014-6977 represents a critical security flaw in the eLearn Android application version 1.0.649.1194 developed by Desire2Learn. This application, which serves educational institutions including Chattanoogastate University, fails to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during secure communications with backend servers. The absence of X.509 certificate verification creates a fundamental weakness in the application's security architecture that directly enables man-in-the-middle attack scenarios.
This technical flaw fundamentally violates established security protocols for mobile application development and secure communications. The application's failure to verify SSL certificates means it accepts any certificate presented by a server without proper validation of the certificate authority, domain name, or cryptographic integrity. This vulnerability falls under CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications. The weakness creates an attack surface where malicious actors can intercept communications between the mobile application and its servers, potentially capturing sensitive user data including login credentials, personal information, and academic records.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for both end users and the institution deploying the application. Mobile users operating the eLearn application become vulnerable to attacks where adversaries can present fake certificates to establish fraudulent connections with the application servers. This allows attackers to eavesdrop on communications, modify data in transit, or redirect users to malicious endpoints. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where the application handles sensitive educational data, as it could enable unauthorized access to student records, grades, and personal information. Attackers could exploit this weakness to impersonate legitimate servers and harvest authentication tokens or other sensitive data transmitted through the application.
Organizations using this vulnerable application should immediately implement mitigations including updating to a patched version that properly validates SSL certificates, implementing additional network-level security controls such as certificate pinning, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of their mobile application ecosystems. The remediation process should align with industry best practices outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and NIST guidelines for secure mobile application development. Security teams should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous certificate behavior and establish incident response procedures for potential exploitation of this vulnerability. This flaw demonstrates the critical importance of proper certificate validation in mobile applications and highlights the necessity of following established security frameworks such as those referenced in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for mobile application security.