CVE-2014-7102 in Car Insurance Quote Comparison
Summary
by MITRE
The Car Insurance Quote Comparison (aka com.seopa.quotezone) application 2.3 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 Car Insurance Quote Comparison Android application version 2.3 contains a critical security flaw in its implementation of secure communication protocols that fundamentally undermines the integrity of data transmission between the mobile client and remote servers. This vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS handshakes, creating an exploitable condition that enables sophisticated attackers to execute man-in-the-middle attacks against unsuspecting users. The flaw represents a severe deviation from established security best practices and cryptographic standards that are fundamental to protecting sensitive user data in mobile applications.
This technical weakness directly violates the core principles of secure communication by implementing what is known as "certificate pinning" failure or "SSL certificate verification bypass." The application's inability to validate server certificates means that it accepts any certificate presented by a server without proper authentication, including maliciously crafted certificates designed to deceive the client. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communication implementations. The flaw creates a trust relationship that can be easily subverted by attackers who can intercept and modify network traffic between the Android application and its backend services, potentially compromising all data exchanged during the session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to access sensitive personal and financial information that users expect to be protected during the insurance quote comparison process. Mobile applications that handle insurance data, personal identification information, and financial details are particularly vulnerable to exploitation through this mechanism, as attackers can capture user credentials, insurance policy information, and other confidential data transmitted over the network. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality and integrity of communications, potentially leading to identity theft, financial fraud, and unauthorized access to personal insurance records. This type of attack pattern is consistent with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1041 technique for data compression and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage.
Organizations and developers should implement immediate mitigations including proper certificate validation mechanisms, implementation of certificate pinning strategies, and regular security audits of mobile applications handling sensitive data. The fix requires modifying the application's SSL/TLS implementation to enforce strict certificate validation procedures, ensuring that all certificates presented by servers are properly verified against trusted certificate authorities. This vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the importance of cryptographic implementation security in mobile applications and the necessity of following industry standards such as those outlined in NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and RFC 5246 for TLS protocol implementation. The remediation process must include comprehensive testing of secure communication channels to ensure that all network traffic between the mobile client and backend services is properly protected against man-in-the-middle attacks.