CVE-2014-7070 in Air War Hero
Summary
by MITRE
The Air War Hero (aka com.dev.airwar) application 3.0 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 • 09/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7070 affects the Air War Hero mobile application version 3.0 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 surface that malicious actors can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate verification mechanism that should establish trust between the mobile application and remote servers, allowing attackers to bypass essential security controls that protect against unauthorized access and data interception.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate validation within the application's SSL implementation, which directly violates fundamental security principles for secure communications. According to CWE-295, this represents a weakness in certificate validation where the application fails to properly verify the authenticity of SSL certificates presented by servers. The vulnerability enables man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing attackers to present forged certificates that appear legitimate to the application, effectively breaking the cryptographic trust model that SSL/TLS protocols are designed to establish. This flaw operates at the transport layer security level and directly impacts the application's ability to maintain confidential and authentic communications with its backend services.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability exposes users to significant risks including data interception, credential theft, and unauthorized access to sensitive information that the application may handle. Attackers can exploit this weakness to eavesdrop on communications between the mobile application and its servers, potentially capturing user credentials, personal information, or other confidential data transmitted through the insecure connection. The vulnerability also enables attackers to modify data in transit, potentially corrupting application functionality or injecting malicious content. According to ATT&CK framework tactic TA0011 (Command and Control), this vulnerability facilitates malicious communication channels that can be used for data exfiltration and further attack vectors. The impact extends beyond individual user privacy concerns to potential business disruption and regulatory compliance violations, particularly if the application handles sensitive user data or financial information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's SSL/TLS stack. The recommended approach involves implementing certificate pinning techniques where the application explicitly trusts specific certificates or certificate authorities rather than accepting any valid certificate from any authority. Additionally, developers should implement certificate verification using established security libraries that properly validate certificate chains, expiration dates, and cryptographic signatures. The application should enforce strict certificate validation policies that reject certificates from untrusted authorities and implement proper error handling for certificate validation failures. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish secure communication protocols that align with industry standards such as those defined by NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and validation. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other components of the application's security architecture.