CVE-2014-7421 in Revel in the Rideau Lakes
Summary
by MITRE
The Revel in the Rideau Lakes (aka com.mytoursapp.android.app326) application 1.0.6 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.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7421 affects the Revel in the Rideau Lakes Android application version 1.0.6, 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 the integrity of data transmission between the mobile client and remote servers. The vulnerability directly impacts the application's ability to establish trust with legitimate servers, as it lacks proper certificate verification mechanisms that are fundamental to secure network communications.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of certificate validation logic within the application's SSL implementation, which falls under the CWE-295 vulnerability category focusing on improper certificate validation. This weakness enables man-in-the-middle attacks where malicious actors can intercept communications by presenting forged certificates that appear legitimate to the vulnerable application. The application essentially accepts any certificate presented by a server without performing the necessary checks against trusted certificate authorities, certificate expiration dates, or certificate subject names. This behavior violates fundamental security principles established in industry standards and best practices for mobile application security.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it allows attackers to obtain sensitive information through crafted certificate manipulation. Mobile applications that fail to validate SSL certificates create opportunities for attackers to establish fraudulent communication channels, potentially accessing user credentials, personal data, financial information, or other sensitive payloads transmitted over the network. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality and integrity of communications, undermining the trust model that users expect when interacting with mobile applications that handle sensitive data. This weakness is particularly dangerous in applications that process user authentication or transactional data, as it provides attackers with a pathway to compromise user accounts and access private information.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-7421 require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application's SSL/TLS stack. Developers should implement certificate pinning techniques that validate certificate chains against known good certificates or public keys, rather than accepting any certificate presented by a server. The application must perform comprehensive certificate validation including checking certificate authority trust, verifying certificate expiration dates, and ensuring certificate subject names match the expected server names. Security controls should align with industry standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project and NIST guidelines for mobile application security. Additionally, the application should implement proper error handling for certificate validation failures, ensuring that any certificate validation issues result in connection termination rather than proceeding with untrusted communications. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and code reviews to identify and remediate similar issues in mobile applications, particularly those handling sensitive user data or financial transactions.