CVE-2014-6997 in Dino Village
Summary
by MITRE
The Dino Village (aka com.tappocket.dinovillage) application 1.6 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-2014-6997 affects the Dino Village Android application version 1.6, specifically targeting its implementation of secure communication protocols. This weakness represents a critical failure in the application's cryptographic security measures, where the software fails to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during network connections. The absence of proper certificate verification creates a significant security gap that can be exploited by malicious actors to establish unauthorized communication channels with the application.
The technical flaw stems from the application's improper handling of X.509 certificate validation within its SSL/TLS implementation. When the application establishes secure connections to remote servers, it does not perform the essential step of verifying certificate authenticity through trusted certificate authorities. This omission allows attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application, enabling them to intercept and manipulate all data transmitted between the mobile device and the server. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" in security protocols, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1573.001 for "Reversible Encryption of Data" and T1041 for "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel" when exploited.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it creates opportunities for comprehensive man-in-the-middle attacks that can compromise user privacy and application integrity. Attackers can exploit this weakness to obtain sensitive user information, manipulate application data, and potentially gain unauthorized access to user accounts or personal data stored within the application. The vulnerability affects all users of the specific application version and persists as long as the flawed certificate validation logic remains unpatched, making it particularly dangerous for applications handling sensitive user information or financial data.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's network communication layer. Developers must ensure that all SSL/TLS connections perform comprehensive certificate verification including chain of trust validation, certificate expiration checks, and hostname verification against the presented certificate. The fix should implement standard certificate pinning techniques where appropriate, and ensure that the application relies on the device's trusted certificate store rather than accepting arbitrary certificates. Security updates should be deployed immediately to all affected versions, and the application should be redesigned to enforce strict certificate validation as a fundamental security control. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish proper incident response procedures for handling certificate-related security incidents.