CVE-2014-7422 in HEA Mobile
Summary
by MITRE
The HEA Mobile (aka com.homerelectric.smartapps) application 1.153.0034 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 CVE-2014-7422 vulnerability affects the HEA Mobile Android application version 1.153.0034, presenting a critical security flaw in the application's SSL/TLS certificate validation mechanism. This vulnerability falls under the category of insufficient certificate verification, which represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's cryptographic security implementation. The flaw allows malicious actors to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting crafted certificates that the application accepts without proper validation, thereby compromising the integrity of secure communications between the mobile client and backend servers.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly implement X.509 certificate verification during SSL/TLS handshakes. According to CWE-295, this represents a weakness in certificate validation where the application does not adequately check certificate authenticity, validity periods, or trust chains. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application accepts certificates from untrusted Certificate Authorities or fails to validate certificate signatures against known trusted roots. This improper implementation allows attackers to generate or obtain certificates that appear legitimate to the application, enabling them to intercept and potentially modify communications between the mobile device and target servers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it creates a complete trust model breakdown that can lead to severe consequences for both users and organizations. Attackers can exploit this weakness to eavesdrop on sensitive communications, steal authentication credentials, manipulate transaction data, or inject malicious content into the application's communication channels. The vulnerability particularly affects applications handling personal information, financial data, or other sensitive user credentials, as the compromised communication channel provides attackers with direct access to potentially valuable data. This weakness also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041, where adversaries use man-in-the-middle attacks to capture and manipulate network traffic.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-7422 require immediate implementation of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the application. Organizations should implement strict certificate pinning policies, ensuring that the application only accepts certificates from predefined trusted Certificate Authorities or specific certificate fingerprints. The solution involves configuring the application to validate certificate chains against established trust stores, verify certificate expiration dates, and confirm that certificates are issued to the expected server names. Additionally, implementing certificate transparency checks and regularly updating the application's trust store can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. Security teams should also conduct thorough code reviews to ensure all network communication components properly validate SSL/TLS certificates and establish monitoring protocols to detect potential certificate validation failures. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of cryptographic best practices and proper implementation of security controls, as highlighted in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-52 for certificate management and OWASP Mobile Top 10 for mobile security considerations.