CVE-2014-7079 in Romeo
Summary
by MITRE
The Romeo and Juliet (aka jp.co.cybird.appli.android.rjs) application 1.0.6 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-2014-7079 affects the Romeo and Juliet Android application version 1.0.6, 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 integrity. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's ability to establish trust with remote servers, fundamentally undermining the security model designed to protect sensitive information transmitted between the mobile device and backend services.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate verification mechanisms within the application's SSL implementation. When the application establishes connections to remote servers, it fails to perform the essential validation steps that should confirm the authenticity of server certificates against trusted Certificate Authorities. This omission creates a man-in-the-middle attack vector where attackers can intercept communications by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The flaw directly corresponds to CWE-295, which categorizes improper certificate validation as a critical weakness in cryptographic implementations, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers data compression and encryption to evade detection while exfiltrating sensitive information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to not only eavesdrop on communications but also to actively modify data in transit. This capability allows malicious actors to inject false information, redirect users to fraudulent services, or extract sensitive user credentials and personal information. The vulnerability affects any data transmitted through the application's network connections, including user authentication details, personal messages, and potentially financial or medical information depending on the application's functionality. The attack can be executed without requiring any special privileges or advanced technical skills, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by threat actors with minimal resources.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's SSL/TLS stack. The recommended approach involves configuring the application to validate certificate chains against trusted root certificates, implementing certificate pinning for critical endpoints, and ensuring that all SSL/TLS connections perform proper hostname verification. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks and establish secure communication protocols that comply with industry standards such as those outlined in NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management. Additionally, the application should be updated to include proper error handling for certificate validation failures, ensuring that connections are terminated when certificate verification fails rather than proceeding with untrusted communications. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of cryptographic best practices in mobile application development and serves as a reminder that secure communication implementations must never compromise on certificate validation procedures.