CVE-2014-6993 in Coupons
Summary
by MITRE
The Codeeta Coupons (aka com.codeeta.promos) application 1.0.5 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 • 09/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6993 affects the Codeeta Coupons Android application version 1.0.5, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS 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 vector that enables malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks against users of the application. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish secure connections with backend servers, potentially exposing sensitive user data and authentication credentials to unauthorized parties.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's implementation of SSL/TLS communication protocols where certificate validation is either completely omitted or inadequately implemented. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-295 which specifically addresses the issue of improper certificate validation in secure communications. The application's failure to validate certificate chains, expiration dates, and issuer authenticity creates a pathway for attackers to present fraudulent certificates that the application will accept as legitimate. This weakness is particularly dangerous in mobile applications that handle sensitive user information, financial data, or authentication tokens, as it undermines the fundamental security guarantees that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to provide.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to completely compromise the integrity of communications between the mobile application and its backend services. An attacker positioned in the network path between the user's device and the server can present a malicious certificate that appears to be from a legitimate service, allowing them to decrypt and manipulate all communications. This capability can result in credential theft, session hijacking, data exfiltration, and unauthorized transactions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in the mobile security landscape as it demonstrates a lack of basic security hygiene in applications that users trust with sensitive personal and financial information. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that this vulnerability affects the entire user base of the specific application version, creating a widespread risk across all users who have not updated to a secure version.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements in the application's network communication implementation. The primary fix involves implementing proper X.509 certificate validation that includes checking certificate chains, verifying certificate expiration dates, validating certificate signatures against trusted Certificate Authorities, and implementing certificate pinning where appropriate. Organizations should also consider implementing certificate transparency mechanisms and regularly audit their SSL/TLS implementations against industry standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to established security frameworks like NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and validation. Additionally, implementing network monitoring and detection capabilities can help identify potential exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other components of the application ecosystem. The incident serves as a reminder of the fundamental security requirements specified in the ATT&CK framework under the network security monitoring and secure communication domains, emphasizing the need for robust certificate validation as a baseline security control.