CVE-2014-7008 in Forum FrAndroid beta
Summary
by MITRE
The Forum FrAndroid beta (aka com.tapatalk.forumfrandroidcom) application 3.4.3 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-2014-7008 affects the Forum FrAndroid beta application version 3.4.3 for Android devices, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack vector that undermines the fundamental security assurances typically provided by encrypted communications.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's SSL certificate validation process where it fails to perform proper certificate chain verification and trust validation. This weakness allows malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The absence of certificate verification means that the application accepts any certificate presented by a server without confirming its authenticity through recognized certificate authorities or proper cryptographic validation mechanisms.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability exposes users to substantial risk of data interception and theft. Attackers can exploit this weakness to eavesdrop on communications between the mobile application and backend servers, potentially accessing sensitive user information including personal data, login credentials, private messages, and forum posts. The impact extends beyond individual user privacy concerns to potentially compromise entire user accounts and facilitate further attacks on connected systems or services that rely on the same communication channels.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communication implementations, and represents a clear violation of security best practices outlined in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-57 and ISO/IEC 27001. From an adversary perspective, this weakness maps directly to ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers data compression and encryption techniques that can be exploited to bypass security controls, and T1566, which involves social engineering tactics that leverage weakened security infrastructure to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate code review and implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms, ensuring that the application validates certificate chains against trusted root certificates and implements certificate pinning where appropriate. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect anomalous certificate behavior and establish secure communication protocols that enforce certificate validation at all connection points. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications and ensure compliance with established security frameworks and industry standards.