CVE-2014-7369 in Il Brillo Parlante
Summary
by MITRE
The Il Brillo Parlante (aka com.wIlBrilloParlante) application 0.1 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 • 10/04/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-7369 represents a critical security flaw in the Il Brillo Parlante Android application version 0.1 that directly impacts the application's ability to establish secure communications with remote servers. This weakness stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to compromise the integrity of data transmission between the mobile device and backend services.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under the category of improper certificate validation, which is classified as CWE-295 in the Common Weakness Enumeration system. The application's failure to verify SSL certificates means that it accepts any certificate presented by a server without performing the necessary cryptographic checks that should validate the certificate's authenticity, issuer, expiration date, and trust chain. This fundamental flaw allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting a maliciously crafted certificate that appears legitimate to the vulnerable application, effectively bypassing the security mechanisms designed to protect sensitive data exchanges.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates severe implications for user privacy and data security, particularly when the application handles sensitive information such as personal data, authentication credentials, or financial transactions. The attack vector is relatively straightforward for threat actors to exploit, requiring only the ability to intercept network traffic and present a forged certificate that the application will accept without proper verification. This weakness is particularly dangerous in public Wi-Fi environments or when users connect to untrusted networks, as the attack can be conducted remotely without requiring physical access to the device.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it undermines the entire foundation of secure communications that users expect from mobile applications. The application becomes a potential conduit for data theft, session hijacking, and other sophisticated attacks that rely on the assumption that SSL/TLS connections are properly secured. According to ATT&CK framework methodology, this vulnerability aligns with techniques related to credential access and defense evasion, as it enables attackers to establish unauthorized access to sensitive information while potentially avoiding detection through the absence of proper certificate validation mechanisms. Organizations and developers should implement comprehensive certificate pinning strategies, proper SSL certificate validation routines, and regular security assessments to address such weaknesses and prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in mobile applications.