CVE-2014-7071 in Autocar India
Summary
by MITRE
The Autocar India (aka com.magzter.autocarindia) application 3.03 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-2014-7071 affects the Autocar India Android application version 3.03, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communications. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack vector that compromises the integrity of data transmission between the mobile client and remote servers. The flaw specifically impacts the application's certificate verification mechanism, which is fundamental to establishing trust in secure communications.
From a technical perspective, the vulnerability constitutes a failure in the SSL/TLS certificate validation process, where the application accepts any certificate presented by a server without proper verification of the certificate chain, issuer authenticity, or domain name matching. This behavior directly violates established security protocols and allows malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The certificate verification process should validate that the certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority, that the certificate has not expired, and that the certificate's subject matches the server's hostname. When these checks are bypassed, attackers can intercept and manipulate communications without detection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables comprehensive surveillance and data exfiltration capabilities for attackers. Mobile applications that handle sensitive information such as user credentials, personal data, or financial transactions become particularly vulnerable when they fail to implement proper certificate validation. The attack surface is significantly expanded since the vulnerability affects the core security mechanism of the application's network communications. This flaw can lead to unauthorized access to user accounts, theft of personal information, and potential compromise of corporate data if the application handles business-sensitive information. The vulnerability also undermines user trust in the application and the organization responsible for its development.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and represents a clear violation of the security principle of certificate chain validation. The flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1041, which describes "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel," as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish unauthorized data transmission channels. Additionally, the vulnerability corresponds to the broader category of insecure communication practices that can lead to data breaches and privacy violations. The Android platform's security model relies heavily on proper certificate validation to maintain secure communication channels, and this failure creates a fundamental weakness in the application's security architecture. Organizations should consider implementing certificate pinning mechanisms as a mitigation strategy, where applications explicitly trust specific certificates or certificate authorities rather than relying on the entire certificate chain validation process. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications and underscores the need for comprehensive security testing during the development lifecycle.