CVE-2014-7106 in Orakel-Ball
Summary
by MITRE
The Orakel-Ball (aka com.wOrakelball) application 0.2 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-2014-7106 resides within the Orakel-Ball Android application version 0.2, specifically targeting the application's cryptographic security implementation. This flaw represents a critical failure in the application's secure communication protocols, as it completely bypasses the essential X.509 certificate verification process that should occur during SSL/TLS connections. The application's failure to validate server certificates creates a fundamental security gap that undermines the entire purpose of transport layer security. This vulnerability falls under the category of weak cryptographic practices and improper certificate validation, which are systematically addressed by industry standards including CWE-295, which specifically covers the weakness of not validating certificates.
The technical implementation flaw within the Orakel-Ball application demonstrates a complete absence of certificate pinning or validation mechanisms that should be present in any secure mobile application. When an application fails to verify X.509 certificates, it essentially trusts any certificate presented by a server regardless of its authenticity or legitimacy. This creates a pathway for malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by generating and presenting fraudulent certificates that appear to be from legitimate servers. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it allows adversaries to intercept and potentially modify communications between the mobile application and its intended servers, enabling the theft of sensitive user data, session tokens, or other confidential information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft to encompass broader security implications for users of the Orakel-Ball application. Mobile users who rely on this application for sensitive operations may unknowingly expose their information to attackers who can establish fake server endpoints that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1041, which describes data compression and encryption techniques used to avoid detection, but in this case the vulnerability enables attackers to bypass encryption entirely through certificate manipulation. The consequences for affected users include potential identity theft, financial fraud, and unauthorized access to personal information that the application may be handling. Organizations relying on this application for business purposes face significant risk of data breaches and compliance violations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address the fundamental cryptographic implementation flaw within the application itself. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing proper certificate verification mechanisms that validate server certificates against trusted certificate authorities or implement certificate pinning for specific domains. Security patches should enforce X.509 certificate validation, ensuring that all SSL connections undergo proper certificate chain validation and trust verification. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect unusual certificate behavior or potential man-in-the-middle attacks. The remediation process should follow established security frameworks such as those outlined in NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and SSL/TLS implementation. Additionally, the application should be updated to include proper error handling for certificate validation failures, ensuring that any certificate verification issues result in immediate connection termination rather than proceeding with unverified communications. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of secure coding practices and the necessity of comprehensive security testing during application development lifecycle phases to prevent such fundamental cryptographic failures from reaching production environments.