CVE-2014-7242 in SumaHo
Summary
by MITRE
The SumaHo application 3.0.0 and earlier for Android and the SumaHo "driving capability" diagnosis result transmission application 1.2.2 and earlier for Android allow man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers and obtain sensitive information by leveraging failure to verify SSL/TLS server certificates.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7242 affects the SumaHo application suite for Android devices, specifically versions 3.0.0 and earlier for the main application and 1.2.2 and earlier for the driving capability diagnosis result transmission component. This security flaw represents a critical weakness in the application's network communication security model, where the software fails to properly validate SSL/TLS server certificates during secure communication sessions. The vulnerability enables man-in-the-middle attacks by allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate servers and intercept sensitive data transmitted between the mobile application and backend services.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper certificate validation implementation within the application's secure communication framework. When applications fail to verify SSL/TLS certificates, they become susceptible to cryptographic attacks where malicious actors can establish fake secure connections with the client application. This weakness directly maps to CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation" in security protocols. The vulnerability creates an attack surface where adversaries can exploit the trust relationship between the mobile application and remote servers, potentially gaining access to confidential user data, session tokens, or other sensitive information exchanged during the diagnosis result transmission process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as the SumaHo application handles driving capability diagnosis results that may contain personally identifiable information and vehicle-specific data. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could access sensitive user profiles, driving behavior analytics, or other proprietary information that could be used for identity theft, targeted attacks, or commercial espionage. The vulnerability affects both the core SumaHo application and its specialized transmission component, creating a comprehensive risk exposure across the entire application ecosystem. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, which covers "Exfiltration Over C2 Channel" and demonstrates how insecure communication protocols can enable data theft through compromised network connections.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanisms within the SumaHo application. Organizations should ensure that all network communications validate server certificates against trusted certificate authorities and implement certificate pinning where appropriate to prevent certificate substitution attacks. The application should be updated to enforce strict certificate validation procedures, including checking certificate expiration dates, verifying certificate chains, and implementing proper error handling for certificate validation failures. Additionally, security audits should be conducted to identify any other applications or services within the ecosystem that may be similarly vulnerable to certificate validation issues. The remediation process should also include implementing network monitoring to detect potential man-in-the-middle attack attempts and establishing secure communication protocols that adhere to industry standards such as those defined in NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and SSL/TLS implementation guidelines.