CVE-2014-7093 in Superbike Magazine
Summary
by MITRE
The Superbike Magazine (aka com.triactivemedia.superbike) application @7F08017A 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 • 09/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7093 affects the Superbike Magazine Android application developed by Triactive Media, specifically manifesting at the memory address 7F08017A. This represents a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communication protocols, where the software fails to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections. The absence of certificate verification creates a significant attack vector that compromises the integrity of data transmission between the mobile application and remote servers. This vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish trust with legitimate servers while simultaneously opening pathways for malicious actors to exploit the communication channel.
The technical flaw stems from the application's inadequate handling of SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms, which is categorized under CWE-295 - "Improper Certificate Validation." This weakness allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting forged certificates that the application accepts without proper verification. The vulnerability exists at the transport layer security implementation level, where the application should validate certificate chains against trusted certificate authorities but instead accepts any certificate presented. This failure creates a trust boundary breach that undermines the fundamental security assumptions of encrypted communication protocols. The specific memory address 7F08017A likely represents a code segment where the certificate validation logic is either completely absent or improperly implemented, making it susceptible to exploitation by adversaries who can intercept and manipulate network traffic.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information transmitted through the application. Mobile applications that rely on secure communication channels for user data, authentication tokens, or proprietary content become vulnerable to eavesdropping and data manipulation attacks. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information exchanged between the mobile device and backend servers, potentially exposing user credentials, personal information, or business-critical data. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 - "Network Service Scanning' and T1566 - "Phishing' as it enables the creation of convincing fake server endpoints that can be used for credential harvesting or data exfiltration. The impact is particularly severe for applications handling user authentication or sensitive personal information, as the vulnerability can be exploited without requiring any special privileges or complex attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address the core certificate validation issue through comprehensive code remediation and security hardening measures. The application should implement proper X.509 certificate chain validation, including certificate authority verification, certificate expiration checks, and hostname validation against the presented certificate. Security best practices dictate that certificate pinning should be implemented to prevent the acceptance of unauthorized certificates, while also ensuring that the application maintains a current and trusted certificate store. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect suspicious certificate behavior and establish proper security testing procedures including dynamic analysis and penetration testing to identify similar validation weaknesses. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following OWASP Mobile Top 10 guidelines and implementing secure coding practices specifically for mobile application development, particularly concerning network communication security and certificate handling mechanisms. The remediation process should involve comprehensive code review, security testing, and regular updates to maintain certificate validation integrity against evolving threat landscapes.