CVE-2014-7040 in UniCredit Investors
Summary
by MITRE
The UniCredit Investors (aka eu.unicreditgroup.brand.ucinvestors) application 1.0 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 • 09/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7040 affects the UniCredit Investors mobile application version 1.0 for Android devices, representing a critical security flaw in the application's secure communication implementation. This weakness stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant exposure that undermines the fundamental security guarantees of encrypted communications between mobile clients and remote servers.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate verification mechanisms within the application's SSL implementation. When establishing secure connections to remote servers, the application accepts any certificate presented without performing the necessary validation checks that should confirm certificate authenticity, issuer legitimacy, and proper cryptographic signatures. This vulnerability directly violates established security protocols and best practices for mobile application security, as outlined in industry standards such as CWE-295 which specifically addresses improper certificate validation. The absence of certificate pinning and the failure to validate certificate chains leave the application susceptible to various man-in-the-middle attack vectors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, particularly for financial applications handling sensitive user data and transactional information. Attackers can exploit this weakness by presenting forged certificates to intercept and manipulate communications between the mobile application and its backend services. This capability enables unauthorized access to confidential financial data, user credentials, and transaction details that should remain protected through secure communication channels. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in the financial services sector where such applications typically handle sensitive personal and financial information, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals seeking to compromise user accounts and financial assets.
The security implications extend beyond simple data interception, as this vulnerability can facilitate credential theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized financial transactions. Mobile banking and investment applications that fail to properly validate SSL certificates create an environment where attackers can establish fraudulent connections and potentially redirect users to malicious servers while maintaining the appearance of legitimate communication. This vulnerability aligns with tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the 'Initial Access' and 'Credential Access' domains, where attackers leverage weak certificate validation to gain unauthorized access to systems and steal sensitive information. Organizations should implement certificate pinning mechanisms, enforce proper certificate validation procedures, and conduct regular security assessments to prevent such vulnerabilities from compromising user data and financial transactions.