CVE-2014-7010 in Mobile
Summary
by MITRE
The UTSA Mobile (aka com.dub.app.utsa) application 1.4.21 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-2014-7010 affects the UTSA Mobile application version 1.4.21 for Android devices, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS certificate verification process. This weakness fundamentally undermines the security foundation of the mobile application by failing to properly validate X.509 certificates presented by SSL servers during secure communications. The absence of certificate verification creates an exploitable condition that allows malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks against users of the application. According to CWE-295, this represents a failure to properly validate certificates, which is a well-documented vulnerability pattern that directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of communications between mobile applications and their backend services.
The technical implementation flaw in the UTSA Mobile application stems from its improper handling of SSL/TLS certificate validation during network communications. When the application establishes secure connections to servers, it fails to perform the necessary certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or trust store validation that should occur during the SSL handshake process. This omission means that attackers can present fraudulent certificates signed by trusted Certificate Authorities or even self-signed certificates that appear legitimate to the application. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification phase of the SSL/TLS protocol stack, where the application should be checking certificate validity, expiration dates, and trust relationships before establishing secure communication channels.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, affecting both the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted through the application. Attackers can exploit this weakness to intercept sensitive information such as user credentials, personal data, financial information, and institutional communications that flow through the application. The man-in-the-middle attack scenario enables adversaries to decrypt and modify communications between the mobile application and backend servers, potentially leading to unauthorized access to institutional systems, data breaches, and credential theft. This vulnerability particularly affects users within the University of Texas at San Antonio environment who rely on the mobile application for accessing academic resources, administrative services, and personal information.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1041, which covers data from network shared drives, and T1566, which covers spearphishing through social engineering. The attack vector typically involves network-based interception where attackers position themselves between the mobile application and its target servers to capture and manipulate communications. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability represents a classic example of improper certificate validation that has been consistently identified in mobile applications across various industries. Organizations should implement comprehensive security testing procedures including static code analysis, dynamic application security testing, and manual penetration testing to identify similar certificate verification flaws in mobile applications.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability include implementing proper SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms within the application, enforcing certificate pinning for critical communications, and conducting regular security assessments of mobile application code. Developers should ensure that the application performs complete certificate chain validation, checks certificate expiration dates, validates subject alternative names against hostnames, and verifies certificate trust relationships against established trust stores. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate active exploitation attempts. The fix requires modifications to the application's networking code to properly implement certificate verification routines and should be prioritized as a critical security update for all affected versions of the UTSA Mobile application.