CVE-2014-7036 in Quest Federal CU Mobile
Summary
by MITRE
The Quest Federal CU Mobile (aka com.metova.cuae.questfcu) application 1.0.27 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 • 09/26/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7036 affects the Quest Federal CU Mobile Android application version 1.0.27, 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 mobile banking application.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's improper implementation of SSL certificate validation routines, specifically failing to perform certificate chain validation and trust verification against established certificate authorities. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295, which addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture. The application essentially accepts any certificate presented by a server without validating its authenticity, issuer, or trust chain, leaving users exposed to certificate spoofing attacks.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to financial security and user privacy. Attackers can exploit this weakness by presenting maliciously crafted certificates to intercept and manipulate communications between the mobile application and legitimate banking servers. The implications extend beyond simple data interception to potential account takeovers, unauthorized transactions, and comprehensive credential theft. Users conducting banking operations through the vulnerable application are at heightened risk of financial loss and identity theft, as the application fails to establish the cryptographic trust necessary for secure financial communications.
The attack surface for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046, which involves network service scanning and manipulation, and T1566, which covers credential harvesting through social engineering or direct attack vectors. The lack of certificate verification creates an environment where attackers can easily establish fraudulent connections and capture sensitive banking information. Organizations should consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous certificate behavior and establish robust certificate pinning mechanisms to prevent such vulnerabilities in mobile banking applications.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of proper certificate validation protocols, including certificate chain validation, trust verification against established authorities, and implementation of certificate pinning techniques. The application should be updated to enforce strict X.509 certificate validation procedures and incorporate industry-standard security libraries that properly handle SSL/TLS certificate verification. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of all mobile banking applications to identify similar certificate validation weaknesses and implement proper security controls in accordance with NIST SP 800-52 guidelines for secure certificate management.