CVE-2014-7452 in Product Catalog
Summary
by MITRE
The Shaklee Product Catalog (aka com.wProductCatalog) application 2.0 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 • 10/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7452 affects the Shaklee Product Catalog Android application version 2.0, representing a critical flaw in the application's secure communication implementation. This weakness resides in the application's failure to properly validate SSL/TLS certificates during network connections, creating a significant security gap that undermines the integrity of encrypted communications between the mobile client and remote servers.
The technical flaw manifests as a complete absence of X.509 certificate verification within the application's SSL implementation. When the application establishes secure connections to remote servers, it does not perform the necessary validation checks that would normally confirm the authenticity of server certificates against trusted certificate authorities. This omission allows attackers to intercept communications and present fraudulent certificates that the application will accept without question, effectively disabling the security mechanisms designed to protect sensitive data transmission.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for users of the application, particularly when accessing sensitive product information, user credentials, or other confidential data. Attackers can exploit this weakness through man-in-the-middle attacks by positioning themselves between the mobile device and legitimate servers, then presenting forged certificates that appear valid to the vulnerable application. The implications extend beyond simple data interception, as this flaw could enable credential theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized access to corporate or personal information stored within the application's secure channels.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in security protocols, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should be implemented according to industry standards. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this weakness maps to T1566 (Phishing) and T1041 (Exfiltration Over C2 Channel) techniques, as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish unauthorized communication channels and extract sensitive information from the mobile device.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper certificate pinning mechanisms within the application, ensuring that only pre-approved certificates or certificate authorities are accepted for validation. Developers should also implement certificate chain validation, hostname verification, and regular security audits of SSL/TLS implementations. Additionally, the application should be updated to include proper error handling for certificate validation failures, and security testing should be performed using tools that can detect such vulnerabilities in mobile applications. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect unusual certificate behavior patterns and alert security teams to potential exploitation attempts.