CVE-2014-7418 in BBC Knowledge Magazine
Summary
by MITRE
The BBC Knowledge Magazine (aka com.magzter.bbcknowledge) application 3.01 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 • 10/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7418 affects the BBC Knowledge Magazine Android application version 3.01, representing a critical security flaw in the application's implementation of secure communications. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS connections, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise user data and system integrity. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish trust with remote servers, fundamentally undermining the security model designed to protect sensitive information transmitted between the mobile device and backend services.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing certificate validation mechanism within the application's SSL implementation, which falls under CWE-295 - Improper Certificate Validation. This weakness allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the application. The application's failure to verify certificate chains, validate trust anchors, or check certificate expiration dates creates an environment where malicious actors can intercept communications and potentially access user credentials, personal information, or other sensitive data. This vulnerability specifically affects the application's secure socket layer implementation and represents a complete breakdown in the cryptographic security controls that should protect against such attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables attackers to establish false trust relationships with the application and potentially manipulate content delivery or redirect users to malicious sites. Mobile applications that rely on secure communications for user authentication, content delivery, or data synchronization become particularly vulnerable when they fail to validate server certificates properly. The implications include potential exposure of user personal information, unauthorized access to premium content, and the possibility of injecting malicious content into the application's communication streams. This weakness particularly affects applications that handle sensitive user data or require secure authentication mechanisms, making the vulnerability exploitable in various attack scenarios.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-7418 should focus on implementing proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's SSL/TLS implementation. Developers must ensure that all X.509 certificates are validated against trusted certificate authorities, verify certificate chains, and check for certificate expiration dates. The application should implement certificate pinning where appropriate to prevent the acceptance of fraudulent certificates even if they are signed by trusted CAs. Additionally, security updates should enforce proper SSL/TLS configuration settings, including the use of secure cipher suites and disabling support for outdated or insecure protocols. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect potential man-in-the-middle attacks and establish incident response procedures for addressing certificate-related security incidents. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 - Network Service Scanning and T1566 - Phishing, as it creates opportunities for attackers to establish unauthorized communication channels and deceive users into trusting malicious endpoints.