CVE-2014-7078 in Payoneer Sign Up
Summary
by MITRE
The Payoneer Sign Up (aka com.wPayoneerSignUp) application 0.1 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.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7078 affects the Payoneer Sign Up Android application version 0.1, representing a critical security flaw in the mobile platform's cryptographic implementation. This weakness resides in the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS communications, creating an exploitable condition that undermines the fundamental security guarantees of secure network connections. The issue manifests when the application establishes secure connections to remote servers, as it neglects to perform certificate chain validation, hostname verification, or signature verification processes that are essential components of the TLS protocol stack.
This cryptographic failure directly enables man-in-the-middle attack scenarios where adversaries can intercept and manipulate communications between the vulnerable Android application and its backend services. Attackers can present maliciously crafted certificates that appear legitimate to the application, allowing them to establish fake secure connections while the application believes it is communicating with authentic servers. The vulnerability operates at the core of the SSL/TLS security model, specifically targeting the certificate validation mechanisms that are designed to prevent such impersonation attacks. This flaw falls under the CWE-295 category of "Improper Certificate Validation" which is classified as a critical weakness in secure communication implementations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception to encompass complete session hijacking and credential theft capabilities. Mobile applications that rely on secure communications for user authentication, payment processing, or sensitive data transmission become particularly vulnerable when they fail to validate server certificates properly. In the context of a payment processing application like Payoneer Sign Up, this vulnerability could enable attackers to capture user credentials, payment information, or other sensitive personal data transmitted during the sign-up process. The attack surface is further expanded because the vulnerability affects the entire communication stack of the application, potentially compromising all network interactions that depend on SSL/TLS connections.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for credential harvesting through social engineering or network interception methods. The lack of certificate validation creates an environment where attackers can establish persistent monitoring capabilities, potentially enabling long-term reconnaissance and data exfiltration operations. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including certificate pinning implementations, network monitoring for suspicious certificate behavior, and application updates that enforce proper SSL/TLS certificate validation. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in OWASP Mobile Top 10 and NIST SP 800-90 guidelines for mobile application security, particularly regarding cryptographic implementation and secure communication protocols.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate application updates that enforce proper certificate validation, implementation of certificate pinning to prevent certificate substitution attacks, and deployment of network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous certificate behavior. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation and additional authentication layers to reduce the attack surface when dealing with vulnerable applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation in mobile applications and serves as a reminder that even minor oversights in security controls can lead to significant compromises in user data protection. Organizations must ensure comprehensive testing of cryptographic implementations and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors.