CVE-2014-6994 in Atecea
Summary
by MITRE
The Atecea (aka com.atecea) application 1.2 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2024
The CVE-2014-6994 vulnerability resides in the Atecea Android application version 1.2, which demonstrates a critical flaw in secure communication protocols. This application fails to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant security gap that adversaries can exploit to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification process, which is fundamental to establishing trust in secure communications between mobile applications and remote servers.
The technical flaw manifests as the application's complete omission of certificate validation procedures that should occur during SSL handshakes. When an Android application establishes a secure connection using SSL/TLS, it should verify that the server's certificate is valid, properly signed by a trusted certificate authority, and matches the expected hostname. The Atecea application bypasses these essential checks, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. This weakness directly violates established security protocols and undermines the entire purpose of SSL/TLS encryption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables sophisticated attack scenarios where adversaries can establish false trust relationships with the application. An attacker positioned between the mobile device and the server can present a malicious certificate that the application accepts without question, allowing them to decrypt and modify communications between the user and the legitimate server. This capability enables the theft of sensitive information including user credentials, personal data, financial information, and other confidential communications that should remain protected through secure channel establishment.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and represents a failure in implementing proper certificate chain validation. The attack vector corresponds to techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1566 for credential access and T1041 for data encryption. Organizations using this application face significant risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive systems, as the vulnerability essentially removes the cryptographic protection that users expect from secure mobile applications. The flaw demonstrates poor security hygiene and inadequate implementation of mobile security best practices, particularly in the realm of secure communication protocols and certificate management.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms including certificate pinning, which involves hardcoding expected certificate fingerprints within the application to prevent acceptance of fraudulent certificates. Additionally, developers should implement comprehensive certificate chain validation that checks certificate expiration dates, validates certificate signatures, and ensures proper hostname matching. The application should also be updated to use modern secure communication libraries that properly handle SSL/TLS certificate validation. Organizations should conduct regular security assessments of mobile applications to identify similar validation flaws and ensure compliance with industry standards for secure mobile application development.