CVE-2014-7117 in Area FCU Mobile
Summary
by MITRE
The Forest Area FCU Mobile (aka com.metova.cuae.fafcu) application 1.0.29 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-2014-7117 affects the Forest Area FCU Mobile Android application version 1.0.29, representing a critical security flaw in the application's cryptographic implementation. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack vector for malicious actors. The flaw essentially disables the certificate verification mechanism that is fundamental to establishing secure communications between the mobile client and remote servers. According to CWE-295, this represents a weakness in certificate validation, specifically failing to validate certificates against a trusted certificate authority. The vulnerability exposes users to severe security risks as it undermines the core principles of secure communication protocols that are essential for protecting sensitive financial data.
The technical implementation of this flaw manifests in the application's SSL/TLS handshake process where certificate validation is bypassed entirely. When the mobile application establishes a connection to a server, it should verify that the server's certificate is issued by a trusted certificate authority and that it matches the expected hostname. However, in this case, the application accepts any certificate presented by the server without proper validation checks. This behavior creates a man-in-the-middle attack scenario where an attacker can intercept communications by presenting a fraudulent certificate that appears legitimate to the vulnerable application. The attack requires the adversary to position themselves between the client and server, typically through network manipulation or by compromising a network node, and then present a crafted certificate that the application will accept without question.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is particularly severe for a financial application like the Forest Area FCU Mobile, which handles sensitive user data including personal identification information, account details, and financial transactions. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could intercept and modify communications between users and the financial institution's servers, potentially gaining access to user credentials, account balances, transaction histories, and other confidential information. The attack could also enable the attacker to perform unauthorized transactions or redirect users to malicious sites. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1046 Network Service Scanning and T1566 Phishing, as attackers could leverage the compromised communication channel to further their attack objectives. The vulnerability essentially removes the cryptographic protection that users expect when conducting financial transactions over mobile networks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate remediation efforts including implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Developers should ensure that the application validates certificates against a trusted certificate store and verifies the certificate chain of trust. The implementation should include hostname verification to ensure certificates match the expected server names. Additionally, the application should utilize secure SSL/TLS configurations that disable weak cryptographic protocols and cipher suites. Security patches should be deployed immediately to update the application to a version that properly implements certificate validation. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level security measures such as SSL inspection and monitoring to detect anomalous certificate usage patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of cryptographic best practices in mobile financial applications and aligns with industry standards such as NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and OWASP Mobile Top 10 M3 Insecure Communication. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be implemented to prevent similar issues in future application releases and ensure compliance with security frameworks.